The Unexpected Fall
by Wadsworth19
Summary: Dramione. When Headmistress McGonagall has Hermione move into the Heads' Dorm after the battle to bring the houses togeather, changes occur all thoughout Hogwarts. Lucius has a plan to be in the light of the public's eye again, but will Draco want to carry it out the way his father intends for it to go? (Rated T for now just to be safe, could be G to start.)
1. Chapter 1

Hermione Granger was always the top of their year, always. Draco Malfoy was always one to insult her, whether it was on how she knew all the answers even before they covered it in class or if it were on her blood status of being a Muggle-Born or even her looks.

"Harry, you must start doing your homework," Hermione said. They were in the Great Hall eating breakfast.

"Sure Hermione, I'll get right on that," he said, copying her Defense Against Dark Arts homework once again.

After they finished eating, they all got up and the boys had started to head off towards Hogsmeade.

"I'll catch up with you guys later, I have to finish an essay for Potions," Hermione said walking towards the Gryffindor Common Room. She was Head Girl, but she had yet to stay in the Heads' Dorm because of whom Head Boy was.

"But it's not due till next week!" Ron shouted after her. She paid no attention to him at all.

When she got to her dorm, she put her Defence Against Dark Arts homework away and pulled out a couple pages of parchment, an ink bottle, and a quill out of her trunk, putting them into her bag and walking back out of her room and to the library.

"Who would have thought that you could find a Mudblood alone in the library, in her natural habitat," she heard Draco Malfoy say, standing in front of her.

She ignored him and his comment, continuing to work on her essay. It still bugged her when she was called that, but she didn't cry because of it anymore as she did in her second year, when he had first started calling her that.

He walked around the table and took her quill out of her hand.

"Give it back Malfoy."

"No Granger, I think I'll just keep this," he said, wiping the ink on her bag and putting the quill into his pocket.

"Accio quill," she said, flicking her wand towards the pocket he put it into. When Hermione had the quill again, he took her essay instead.

"Why don't you just go hang out with your idiotic friends or whatever it is you do Malfoy."

"I'm pretty sure that bugging you is better than hiding from Pansy."

"Give me the essay," she said, trying to take it from him but failing.

"No, Mudblood," he said before starting to read the essay. She tried to take it from him again. "I'll will set this aflame if you try to take it back again."

"Give it back Malfoy," Hermione said before pointing her wand at him.

As he saw where Hermione was pointing her wand at, he took off. Draco ran out of the library and turned down an empty corridor with Hermione hot on his tale. He turned into an empty classroom before looking the door.

"Alohomora," Hermione casted, unlocking the door and running into the room. "MALFOY!"

"Granger, put the wand down."

"I'll put the wand down once you give me back my Potions essay."

"Expelliarmus," he casted, disarming Hermione and taking the wand. He put her essay in one of the pockets inside his robe and put both of the wands into a different pocket on the other side of his robe.

"Malfoy, give me my wand and essay."

"I'll give them back Granger, if you finally come to the Heads' dorms." She stood there shocked at what he had just said.

"Why? I find it better as it is now. You've got a room to yourself and I don't have to deal with insults every single day."

"Granger, how's this. I won't call you Mudblood and you'll get your things back if you just go to the Heads' dorm."

"I will move into the Heads' dorm if I can lay down ground rules."

"Such as?"

"One: No touching my stuff, two: no taking my stuff, three: no coming into my room, four: no other people inside the dorm without the permission of the other, five: you will not bug me while I'm studying, and six: you will not insult me on anything including hair or blood."

"Are you bloody mad? You would never approve of Slytherins coming into the dorm."

"Exactly."

"Okay fine, but the rules go both ways."

"Fine, now give me my wand and essay."

"Not until you are inside the dorm."

"Fine, but you're going to help me move my stuff then."

"How, if I show my face into the Gryffindork Common Room, it'll be cursed off."

"Just trust me, Malfoy."

"If I die it's your fault," he said following her out of the empty classroom and towards the Gryffindor Common Room.

"Stay here, and stay hidden," she said before whispering the password so that he couldn't hear it and entering. She went up to Harry, Ron, Neville, Seamus, and Dean's room. She slowly opened the door, and saw no one inside. She went over to Harry's trunk and took out his invisibility cloak before walking back down to where she left Draco. "Put this on and follow me," she said throwing it at him.

"Is this Potter's or Weasley's?" he said catching it.

"It's Harry's, why does it matter?"

"It doesn't, but how did he get it?"

"It was his father's," she said. He put it on and then followed her into the common room only to have to wait at the bottom of the stairs. When she got up to her room, she packed all of her clothes into her trunk and then she put all of her books in followed by a few Muggle pictures of her parents and some of her friends including the whole Weasley family. She brought the trunk back down and ran right into Draco, causing the cloak to come off of him.

"Watch it Granger," he said standing up, picking up her trunk, and throwing the cloak back over himself and it.

"Sorry Malfoy," she said standing up and walking out of the Gryffindor Common Room. She walked down the first empty corridor she could find. "Take the cloak off."

Draco put the trunk down on the ground and threw the invisibility cloak at Hermione, hitting her in the face. She went over towards him and put the cloak into her trunk before picking it up.

"Crookshanks!" she said, putting the trunk back down and running back towards the Gryffindor Common Room. She went up to her dorm, picked up Crookshanks, made sure she had everything out, and ran back to where she just was running into no one on the way since they were all in Hogsmeade.

"You are not bringing that ugly bloody cat into the dorm," Draco said when he saw Crookshanks.

"One, he is not a cat. He is half Kneazle, half cat. And two, I am bringing him."

"Ugh," he said before picking up her trunk and leading her towards the Heads' dorm that was down a corridor by the library.

"Chamber of Secrets," Draco said quietly to a picture of two small children playing in a Muggle park. The portrait went back, revealing the Heads' Common Room. He walked in and went back to the farthest room on the right, placing her trunk on the floor in front of the bed.

"Why is the password Chamber of Secrets?" Hermione asked, letting Crookshanks get onto the bed.

"Because it is," Draco said before leaving her room and going to his own slamming the door.

She ran over to his room and knocked on the door. "You still haven't given me my wand and Potions essay."

"Yes, I did. Check your bloody trunk," he said through the door.

Hermione walked back to her room and unlocked her trunk finding her wand, her essay, and a piece of parchment that Malfoy must have put into the trunk while she was back in Gryffindor Common Room getting Crookshanks.

She picked up the parchment and read it. _Granger, I have been sneaking some food from the Great Hall after every meal so that I would have something to eat at times when I do not wish to go to the Great Hall or when I get hungry at other times of the day. If you take even a little bit of food from the Great Hall, you can take as much as or any of the food as you wish. -Draco Malfoy. P.S. Don't read too much into this, I still hate you as much as I did when you punched me in the face third year_

She took out all of her books and put them on bookshelf beside side her desk against the wall on the far right side from the door. She then put all of her clothes inside the closet on the left side of the room. Finally, she placed some of her pictures on her desk, some on her nightstand, some on her bookcase, and some on a shelf above her desk. After she was finished getting her room set up, she finished her Potions essay and went out to the main room.

It was a mess almost everywhere. On her way in she had simply overlooked it but now she couldn't. Draco had left copies of the Daily Prophet everywhere along with goblets that still had some pumpkin juice or butterbeer in them, plates with food on them, plus books and homework assignments. She picked up all of the plates and dropped the food into the trash and picked up all the goblets dumping the remaining liquids into the sink before washing them all by hand. During all of this Draco was watching from his dorm frame.

"Granger, what are you doing?" he asked walking over to the couch where he stood behind it.

"What does it look like I'm doing Malfoy? This place is a mess, surely you had been taught better. I mean, when we were taken to your horrid Manor everything there looked clean, dark and creepy, but still clean," she said without looking up from the dishes.

"I'm adding a seventh rule, no talking about the war, and any part of it at all," he said walking over to the fridge and taking out a bottle of butterbeer. "Why aren't you using magic do to those?"

"Because, I don't turn to magic if I can do something the Muggle way, the way I grew up with. And I totally agree with the new rule. You do realize you could be helping me clean instead of just standing there drinking butterbeer."

"Yeah, but I don't wish to," he said finishing off the butterbeer and throwing the bottle away.

"Why'd you even want me to move into the Heads' Dorm, Malfoy?"

"I'm not even sure anymore Granger, but it may possibly have something to do with the fact that even some of my Slytherin housemates aren't even talking to me after the war due to the fact that I gave up with the whole Voldemort and Death Eater thing."

"Is that supposed to be believable?"

"It may not be, but it is the truth," he said drying the dishes she had already washed and putting them away.

"How long do you think we'll be able to stick to the rules we have set forth?"

"Not that long," he said with a classic Malfoy smirk and a small chuckle.

She finished doing the dishes and went over to the main room. She picked up all of the books and put the non-fiction ones on the left side of the fireplace and the fiction ones on the right side, organizing them by author then by date published. She then picked up all of his homework assignments and put them inside his room on his desk.

"See, you just broke two rules already," Draco said when she came out of his room which was even worse than the main room with clothes all over the floor.

"Hasn't any of the house elves been in here to clean?"

"No, I told them not to the first day we got back."

"Why would you do something like that when it only results in a messy room?"

"This is coming from the witch who started S.P.E.W," he said, closing a cupboard door and throwing a chocolate frog at her.

She caught the chocolate frog but had almost dropped it. She was shocked how he, her enemy, could get S.P.E.W right but her friends couldn't in their fourth year, or any since then, calling it Spew. "Yeah, but you've always been a git. Has the war made you nicer?"

"And now you've broken four of the seven rules and it's only the first day, congratulations Granger."

She ignored his sarcastic comment and went over to her room. She took out a purse and put in her wand and some gallons along with a book before walking out of her room and heading towards the door to leave for Hogsmeade.

"Where are you going?" Draco asked from the couch where he was now reading a book.

"I told Harry and Ron that I'd meet them in Hogsmeade," she simply stated before walking out of the room.

As soon as she stepped out of the heads dorm she regretted it. This corridor was usually warm, but now it was cold, it didn't make any sense. She ran, she ran until she got to the main corridor right in front of the Great Hall. As soon as she stopped running, she saw Harry and Ron coming into the castle.

"Were you just running?" Ron asked, eating as always.

"No, why would I be running?" she asked lying and trying not to look behind her.

"I don't know, but you have to stay in the Common Room tonight instead of going up to your dorm for another Gryffindor house party about beating Slytherin in today's preseason Quidditch match," Harry said as they walked over to the Gryffindor table.

"You haven't won yet Harry," she said, walking with them into the Great Hall for lunch.

"Yeah, but they aren't going to win," Ron said, pausing to take a drink of butterbeer. "They're going to lose faster than it took for Harry to kill Voldemort in the final duel."

"I bet five gallons that Slytherin will win," Draco said from behind Harry and Ron who had their backs to him since he was sitting at the Slytherin table behind them at a seat where his back should have been turned on them but he was turning around on the bench. How could those three fight when the Ravenclaw table was in between our two tables?

"Really Malfoy, you already owe us for saving both Goyle's and your's lives in the Room of Requirement during the Battle. Why are you trying to make the debt bigger?" Ron asked, looking over his shoulder at the same time as Harry.

Since neither of her friends were looking at her, she decided to take this moment to sneak some food into her bag. She took out a couple of her Muggle water bottles that she had gotten when she had finally restored her parents memory - they had bought tons of stuff while they were in Australia – and she filled up half of them with pumpkin juice and the other half with butterbeer.

"Trust me Weasley, five gallons is nothing, but to you it may be more than your entire family has, well had until your idiotic twins brothers started that shop. Too bad one of them died in the Battle, eh?" Draco said, looking at Hermione the entire time and making sure that she had enough time to get whatever she was getting without the boys noticing. Before Ron could respond, Draco stood up and walked out of the Great Hall.

"I'm going to kill him," Ron said, trying to stand up to go after him but being pulled back down by Harry.

"No you're not, at least not until after the match when we win. That way the Slytherins can't say we were scared nor can they say we were jealous of them either," Harry said, turning to Hermione. "You will come to the party won't you?"

"What if Gryffindor loses?"

"Then you still would have to go."

"No, I'm good, I think I'll just stay up in my dorm and get ahead on the Charms essay or read a Muggle book, or do something of that sort," she said before getting up and getting ready to leave the Great Hall.

"Where are you going Hermione?" Ron asked, putting his goblet of butterbeer down since it was now empty.

"I'm going to go up to my dorm," she said before walking off with no other comment.

On her way up she thought of different things that she wanted to tell Malfoy not to do again. By the time she got to the entrance of the Head's Dorms, she had already came up with eight, but after she walked into the Common Room and saw Draco sitting on the couch reading one of her books, she had forgot all of them.

"Malfoy, you are breaking rules one and two, and in order to obtain the book to break those you also broke rule number three," she said walking over to the couch, standing in front of where he sat.

"I'm bored Granger, what do you expect me to do?" he said placing a piece of spare parchment into the book to keep his place and placing the book on his lap before looking up at her in wait of an answer.

"I certainly don't expect you to be reading Shakespeare, a Muggle author mind you," she said trying to take the book, but being stopped by Draco as he placed his hand on the cover, making her afraid she might break it if she dare move it from its current location.

"You don't think that I should get over the preset mindset that Muggles and all things to do with them are bad and should be eliminated from the face of the earth so that only the Magical may remain and be in control? Well this is a very unexpected and unneeded turn of events Granger."

"Oh shut up and just give me the book back Malfoy," she said trying to take it once more but being stopped. He picked up the book, shoved past her, and ran to his room, hiding the book just before she entered. "Where is it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said, backing up as she was advancing on him. He fell onto his bed, tripping over the clothes on the floor. "If you hurt me they'll know who did it."

"Yeah, and they will also know that I only did it because you were being a git as usual."

"Is that what you think of me? Just a plain old git?" he asked sounding hurt.

"Well, why shouldn't I? You've been making fun of me since we first met on the train."

"And you punched me in the nose in third year," he said standing up, backing her into the wall.

"You're the one who has been thinking yourself above everyone else since the start, not even giving those of a different blood status or a different childhood raising a chance. Thinking that only those who have known magic since birth and have it from a long line of people are worthy of even the basic most respect and kindness," she said, once again backing him up and making him fall onto his bed, but this time was different than before. This time she was pulled down with him and he didn't take his eyes off of her's. She sat up on the bed beside him. He looked at her as if this was the first time that he had set eyes on her, as if she were suddenly the most important, the smartest, the brightest, and the most worthy thing in the whole world. "Never have you even tried to get to know Harry, any of the Weasleys, Sirius, Remus, Tonks – who was your cousin mind you, same with Sirius for Godric's sake, - Dumbledore, or even me and the other Muggleborns. You have shoved us off as if we were the dirt on your new shoes, the lowest things in the world, worst than the dust under your-"

"You're right," he said, shocking her and cutting her off.

"What?"

"I said you're right, as you usually are most of the time," he said sitting up and looking down at the ground.

"A Slytherin showing emotion? Well, I believe we are now in uncharted territories."

"We were in uncharted territories since the moment you moved in here Granger," he said standing up to go retrieve her book. She stood up following him and taking the book from him when he got it out from where he had hidden it. It was hidden in the bottom of the closet, where there was one area where the floor could be removed; she made a mental note of checking her closet for the same kind of area later. After she had her book back, she left the room without saying anything else. She went into her own room and put the book back on the nightstand where she had placed it earlier just because she was planning to fall asleep again tonight reading it as she had the night before. She then went out to the kitchen and took out all of the things she had gotten out of the Great Hall and put them where they belonged before going to her room and checking in her closet. She found it; how she had missed it when she moved in had escaped her. It on the far right side of her closet, unlike Draco's who had it on the left side of his closet, and it took up half of the space in the closet.

After she put the boards back on the floor, she fixed her closet so that it was set up as she had it before and so that nobody else could tell that there was a difference in the floor unless the truly stared at it for a while. She then went out to the main room taking her Shakespeare play that Draco had previously taken and sat down on the couch to read. She turned to the page she was last on and noticed that he was at the exact same page she was in Macbeth. Before she started reading, she went and got one of the water bottles that had butterbeer in it, and then went back to the couch. While she was in the kitchen, Draco had quietly walked out of his room and sat on the couch, next to where Hermione was.

"What do you want now Malfoy? Haven't you heard me rant enough tonight?"

"I don't think I could hear you rant enough, even if I may be mad at you or something," he said turning and looking at her, once again not letting his eyes go anywhere other than her.

"Okay, now I know for a fact that you are not the real Draco Malfoy," she said walking over, putting her water bottle of butterbeer on the coffee table, and carefully, almost as if she did not trust it, sat down on the couch where she was before, which just so happened to be right next to him.

"Oh really, it may be possible that you don't know the real Draco Malfoy, nor have you ever while here at Hogwarts," he said moving closer to her. Hermione had read enough books to know that this could only go a limited number of ways.

"Malfoy, give one reason why I should be feeling comfortable around you. Your aunt is the one who gave me this," she said rolling up her right sleeve, revealing the word Mudblood that Bellatrix had cut into her while they were at Malfoy Manor. While she was pulling up her sleeve, she looked at Malfoy, looking him in the eyes for the first time since they were little kids.

He looked her in the eyes as well during this, refusing to look at the marks his aunt had left. "I know what she did to you, Hermione. I was there and I told you not to bring it or any part of the war up again," he said before standing up and going to the fridge. Somehow, he had been able to bring a bunch of firewhiskey bottles up to the castle and store them into the fridge without anyone noticing. He took out a bottle of it and went back to the couch, opening it on his way and taking a drink before placing next to Hermione's Muggle water bottle full of butterbeer. She unrolled her sleeve and sat there, not saying a word. "Look Granger, I don't want to bring up any of those memories. If I had the choice to go back and do all of that again, I would choose to go to Dumbledore for help way before Voldemort would even get a chance to make me a Death Eater."

"Would you though? Would you leave your family to do what is right, to fight for the light even if it may result in your death? Would you fight for the good no matter what it may cost you? Would you fight loyally and hard and true for our side, my side, until the day you die? Would you give up your family's money? Would you leave behind the prejudice judgments that had been pressed into your head ever since you were born? That were pressed into your head even before you were born? Would you have fought for this side even if we would have lost, if Harry would have been killed at the hands of Voldemort who had brought terror into the wizarding world from the day he got power?"

"Yes," he replied without even thinking about it. "If I would have fought on their side, on your side... I wouldn't have to been scared that the leader, who is the most powerful of the wizarding world, was going to kill me if I didn't get the task done that he had given to me to complete. I wouldn't have had to stand there, helpless, watching you getting tortured by my aunt Bellatrix when I wanted to do nothing more than run over to you and help you all escape."

While he was talking, she could not keep her eyes off of him, no matter how hard she tried. "Well, this is the most you have gone talking to me without slipping a single insult in to the conversation." He laughed, his first actual laugh in her presence, and, truthfully, the first actual laugh for as long as he could remember. She then smiled in response for she could not help it. She thought she should feel as if she could not trust him, as if she must be on her guard the entire time, but for some unknown, insane reason she felt as if for the first since the war first started, since Voldemort had first come back to power, that she was safe, as if nothing in the world could possibly hurt her while she was here with him except for herself and how much she would actually come to care, and possibly even like, the boy who sat here next to her, looking at her as if she was the brightest thing in the room despite the fire glowing ever so brightly against the wall. He held eye contact with her as if they were in a never ending starring contest that would only result in the pain or the death of the loser. They stayed like this, unmoving and silent, for a couple of minutes more when there was a knock out side against the wall.

"Malfoy, you are needed in the Headmistress office. Do you know where Hermione is? I have already checked the Gryffindor Common Rooms and her dorm where she said she was going to stay, but she isn't there." they heard their new Defense against Dark Arts professor - Charlie Weasley - ask through the door.

"I'm in here Professor," Hermione said looking away from Draco for the first time and standing up once again, going over to the door with Draco following her.

"What does McGonagall require?" Draco asked when Hermione opened up the door.

"She did not say, all she told me was to bring both of you to her office," the professor said leading both Hermione and Draco to the Headmistress's office even though they both knew where it was well enough. "Faux," he said, revealing the entrance up to McGonagall's office with the password that was the name of Dumbledore's old bird's name. The professor left them and Draco and Hermione walked up the staircase and entered McGonagall's office.

"Ah, I wondered if they would ever find you Miss Granger. Now, take a seat," she said, waiting to continue until they were both sitting down in the chairs across her desk. "As you two are the heads, and due to the fact that much of the students here aren't really treating the Slytherins as kindly as before, I must command you both to sleep inside the Heads' Dorms that you are to share in order to try to repair the peace, or semi-peace, that this school once had before the Battle and before Voldemort came back and took control of everything."

"Professor McGonagall, Draco was already staying in the Heads' Dorms since the start of the year last week, and I just moved in there today, before lunch actually," Hermione explained.

"Mister Malfoy, is this true?"

"Yes, even though I may have taken a rather bad approach in order to get Granger to move into the Heads' Dorm, she did and we have agreed upon some basic ground rules to try to make it a more peaceful experience, even if we have each broke at least three of the seven rules we have set forth," Draco explained in response to McGonagall's question.

"Alright then, I will take your word for it, now we must try to restore the peace. We shall wait and see how it is in a couple of weeks, but then we must try to come up with ideas in order to restore it if it doesn't restore by itself. You may go," she said standing up and walking over to one of the book cases. Draco and Hermione both stood up at the same time and walked down the stairs.

"What time is it?" Hermione asked.

"I'd think it'd be time for dinner, wouldn't you?" Draco said. They set off for the Great Hall, but Hermione stopped before they got to one of the main corridors. "What's wrong?"

"If they see us walking in together, Ron and Harry won't even think before attacking you. Wait here for a couple minutes at least and then go," Hermione said before walking to the Great Hall for super. Hermione entered the Hall and went over to sit with Harry and Ron just before Draco entered a minute later.

"Hey Hermione," they said together.

"Hey Ron, Hey Harry," Hermione replied, putting a plate of food together and starting to eat as Draco sat at the Slytherin table behind Harry and Ron, but where he could easily look at Hermione when he wanted to.

"Where have you been Hermione? We've looked all over the Common Room and Library plus we had Ginny check your dorm and she said she didn't find you nor could she find any of your things," Harry said.

"I, um," she couldn't think of a response to say that wouldn't make the boys sitting in front of her freak out. Normally, she would tell them the truth, but she knew what their reaction would be to her staying in a separate dorm with a former Death Eater. She looked at Draco for help quickly after looking at her plate, he was watching her the entire time.

"Boys, I believe you owe me five gallons," Draco interrupted, yelling from the Slytherin table before standing up and walking towards them in order to save Hermione.

"What are you talking about Malfoy?" Ron asked.

"If you can possibly recall, we made a bet earlier of five gallons and I said that Slytherin was going to win."

"Actually Malfoy, if you would have showed up to the game, you would have known that we won, now pay up," Harry said.

"Fine," he said taking ten gallons out of his pocket and giving five to each of the big war heroes in front of him. As Harry and Ron put the gallons away, he looked at Hermione and smiled a faint smile that she returned, grateful for not having to answer her best friends' question. She also took this moment to put some of the foods in front of her into some containers and placing them back into her beaded bag.

Even after they had gotten back from hunting horcruxes and after the Battle was over and won, she couldn't go anywhere without her bag and she still kept a lot of things in it that she didn't have room for in her trunk or things that she won't normally bring but never knew if she would ever need it. Better safe than sorry. She finished her dinner, talking to Harry and Ron rarely as they were discussing the latest Quidditch game. How they possibly act like they didn't just fight a bunch of Death Eaters and the darkest wizard of their time only three months ago was out of her mind's reach to grasp.

"Hermione?" Ron said, repeating again.

"Oh sorry, I was thinking, go on Ron," she replied.

"I, um, well, I was wondering if you would like to join me at the Hogshead tomorrow."

"No thank you, Ron, I can't. I told Madam Pince that I would help her put some of the books back and then I have to help some of the students in the younger years below us with different homework assignments that they don't understand."

"Oh, alright. It's fine 'Mione," he said stuffing his face again before leaving the Great Hall with Harry.

"Well, did you tell them you moved into the Heads' Dorm?" Draco asked quietly after standing up across from her and jumping over the Ravenclaw table since most students had already left.

"No, that's when I looked at you for help," she said standing up and walking out of the Great Hall and to their dorm with him beside her, getting stares from some of the few people still eating.

"You have to tell them Granger."

"I know, but I'd rather not do it while there are other people to witness or when you're not around so that can't try and destroy you."

"What if they try to attack you?"

"They're my friends Malfoy, they wouldn't do that," she said before walking into the Heads' Dorm and sitting down on the couch and putting her beaded bag on the ground beside her. He shut the entrance behind them and sat over beside Hermione. "You can read Macbeth if you want," Hermione told him before standing back up and picking up his firewhiskey bottle and the Muggle water bottle with butterbeer. She went over to throw the firewhiskey bottle away and put her water bottle into the fridge again.

"Granger, where did you last leave off?" he asked.

"I was just about to start the fourth act."

"Perfect, that's where I was," he said, waiting for her to come sit back down before reading, but she was still over in the kitchen. "Granger, come on so I can start reading."

"What?" she asked, thinking that he was just going to read it by himself.

"Get over here so I can read it so we can both finish this," he said turning his head to look at her.

"Do I have to?"

"Yes, Granger," he said, smirking once again. She got up and walked over to the couch sitting down. "Comfortable?"

"Not really, but start reading."

"Nope."

"But you said that you would once I got over here."

"Well, change of plans then," he said getting up and going over to her room since it was the closest one from the couch.

"Malfoy, what are you doing?" she asked him following him over to her own room. He jumped onto the middle of the bed landing more towards the left side. Laying down on it, he fixed the pillows so that it was more comfortable. "Malfoy get off of my bed," she told him, walking over to it, standing on the left side of it.

"Nope, sorry Granger," he said, pulling her onto the bed. He pulled her so that she was now on the right side of him and the bed.

"Why are you doing this Malfoy?" she asked him turning towards him to look at him. He didn't answer her question, but instead started reading Macbeth. After a while, she repositioned herself so that she felt more comfortable. Even though it was only 10 o'clock and she normally went to sleep around midnight due to working on homework, after Draco started to read the fifth act, she started to fall asleep. To her, this was the best sleep she had gotten since fourth year before Voldemort came back, she felt safe even though she was laying next to a wizard who was once a Death Eater, and once again she felt as if no harm may come to her while he lay here beside her.

Draco felt Hermione drift off to sleep next to her and he placed the book on the end table. Wanting Hermione to actually feel safe around him despite the fact that his aunt was the one who did that to her arm and he was the one who had called her names since first year, he was about to get up and go to his own room for the night, when Crookshanks jumped on the bed and layed on his legs. "Are you bloody joking, you horrid creature. Can't you tell I was about to get up?" he whispered to Crookshanks, getting a meow in response. He felt Hermione move closer to him in her sleep and started to fall asleep himself after chuckling to himself.


	2. Chapter 2

Hermione was the first of the two of them to wake up. It was only two o'clock in the morning, but she was wide awake. She wanted to get up to go get something to drink, but at the same time, she didn't want to get up and leave the warmth that was surrounding the bed as if a heating charm had been casted around them. She slowly moved off the bed, making sure not to move too much and wake Draco up. She then went and got a water bottle with pumpkin juice in it and went back to the room. She was just started to climb back into the bed after putting the bottle on the right end table when he woke.

"Do you want me to go over to my room Hermione?" he asked, looking at her.

"No," she said taking a drink of the pumpkin juice and repositioning herself to where she was before. After she was done and was about to put the bottle back on her end table, he took it from her and also took a drink of it then putting it on his end table. "Now you're going to get deadly sick since you drank after a Muggleborn."

"Ha ha, very funny. Go back to sleep," he said. They both soon fell asleep once more and didn't wake up until ten.

"Morning, Hermione," Draco said, when she woke up just after himself.

"Good morning, Draco," she replied, getting up and out of her bed. She picked out her clothes and got out her shower stuff before going to the private bathroom that the Heads had in their dorm. When she got out, there was some eggs and toast out on a plate with a note by it on the counter, but Draco wasn't there. She put her stuff away and went back to the kitchen, took the stuff to the small table they had and started reading while eating. _Hermione, we have to finish Macbeth tonight. There is also something on my mind I want to talk to you about. Hope you like the food; I had Kreacher bring it up for you. I had to go meet Blaise in Hogsmeade today since I didn't go with him yesterday. He knows that you have moved into the Heads' Dorm, as does Nott and Goyle. He said that if you wanted to and if you had nothing better to do, you could meet us at Three Broomsticks for butterbeer at 12:30. See you either then or tonight when we finish Shakespeare's play. -Draco Malfoy._

After she finished the food, she washed the plate and put it away in the cupboard and went back to her room. She went over to her shelf and looked through her books. They only had half of the last act left, and she was certain that Draco would want to read more than just that. She ended up pulling out another one of her smaller, older books that she loved, Narnia. She put it on the end table under Macbeth. What she told Ron yesterday wasn't a lie, she did help in the library and put books back, but they were the books that she had borrowed and read. And she did help some younger students with their assignments, but she only had to help two of them, both of which had rather simple questions to ask her about and then she was needed no more. After she had finished, the time was just turning twelve, just enough time to make it down to the Three Broomsticks. For some reason, she couldn't get Draco out of her head; she had even picked up a book about dragons in the library to read in her free time. She didn't pass anyone on her way down to the town since most of them had already left early that morning, luckily she didn't even see Ron or Harry.

"Draco, calm down, there's still ten minutes until 12:30. Granger may not even be coming to join us. Why are you even interested in her? I thought you had hated her since first year?" Blaise said as they were walking around the town.

"I don't even know Blaise. I thought I did hate her, but I couldn't stand watching Bellatrix do what she did to her while they were at the Manor. I just felt like running over there saving Hermione and helping her and her friends escape. Trust me Blaise; she's going to join us."

"Oh yes, because she will totally trust not just one Slytherin, but two of us. I'm pretty sure she's not the brightest witch of our age for nothing Draco. And since when have you started calling Granger by her first name?"

"Since last night," Draco responded before stopping in his tracks. Hermione was just coming up the trail from the school and right between them was the Three Broomsticks.

"Oi, last night 'eh?"

"No, not that Blaise," Draco said walking even faster in order to talk to Hermione faster.

Hermione wasn't thinking. Why was she here? How could she possibly be here with not just Draco but with his friend Blaise as well? What will the others think when they see her here with them? She continued walking, quickening her pace but thinking at the same time that she should just turn back now when she had the chance. But it was too late, she had already seen him and he had already seen her. There was no backing down now even if she wanted to. She wanted to go somewhere that none of her friends nor anyone else who could possibly judge them or spread the news or rumors that she was converting with, hanging out with, friends with, or dating a Slytherin, and not just any Slytherin but Draco Malfoy, the Slytherin Prince himself and prior Death Eater to Voldemort during the Last Wizarding War would be.

"Hey Hermione," Draco said when they had both reached the Three Broomsticks doors.

"Hello Draco, Blaise," Hermione replied.

"Granger. Um, guys I don't mean to be rude, but I don't think we want to go in there together," he pointed inside. Harry, Ron, and Ginny were all inside talking.

"Oh my Godric Gryffindor," Hermione said before running to the side of the build where there weren't any windows.

"Where else would you want to go to?" Draco asked her.

"Can't we still go in there though, and have her go somewhere else?" Blaise asked.

"Hold on," Hermione said, digging around in her purse for something. She pulled out a flask, filled with polyjuice potion. "Do you have any hair from Parkinson?" she asked them as she poured some of the potion into a small goblet, putting the rest away.

"Nope."

"Yes," Blaise said pulling out a bag filled with hair. Hermione took out one piece of it put it in the potion and gave the rest to Blaise.

"How and why do you have Pansy's hair?" Draco and Hermione both asked.

"I ripped it out this morning because she was being a bloody git as usual."

"As you Slytherins are a lot," Hermione said before drinking the potion and turning into Pansy.

"Two things: one that's rude. And two: you still have Gryffindor robes on," Draco said.

"Right," she said putting the potion back in the bag. "You left your robes in my room this morning, so I put them in here and forgot to put them back in your room. Do you mind if I use them?" she asked, taking the robes that he had left in her room after changing in there this morning along with his tie.

"Go right ahead," he said.

"Honestly, what do you guys to in the Heads' Dorm?" Blaise asked.

"We're nerds, we read," Hermione said as she took off her Gryffindor robes that she had on over her Muggle clothes and then slipped on Draco's Slytherin robes and put her Gryffindor ones into her beaded bag.

"Tie Granger," Blaise said. She slipped her Gryffindor tie off of her neck and took out Draco's from her bag, put her own away, and slipped his on.

"How's that?" she asked them, directing the question more towards Draco.

"Better, except for this," he said before fixing her tie to look more how Pansy wore hers. "And she wouldn't have her skirt pulled down as low as her knees, and I am not a nerd Hermione."

"I'm not pulling my skirt up any higher than it is."

"Alright, hide the bag under the robes," Blaise said before they all three walked into the Three Broomsticks where Ginny, Harry, and Ron were still all at eating, drinking, and talking.

"Didn't Ron ask you to join them today?" Draco asked Hermione quietly as they found a table away from her friends' view and Blaise went to go to the bathroom.

"Yeah, he asked me in a way that it sounded like a date so I said that I had other things to do, which wasn't a lie."

"It wasn't the truth either."

"He doesn't need to know that. And he doesn't need to know that I'm here instead with you and Blaise. If he, Harry, Ginny, or any of the other people I'm friends with ever found out, they would have your head on a stick faster than we apparated away when we were in that one room of your Manor and Dobby came and rescued us."

"What ever happened to Dobby?"

"You know how Bellatrix threw a sharp thing at us? It hit Dobby right as we were Apparating away and killed him."

"Can I add a new rule? No more talking about Malfoy Manor or about my family?"

"That's two rules, but they can pass as one, for now at least. All of the ground rules do have certain exceptions and not all of them are permanent."

"What? I did not agree to that when we had set the rules as they are," Draco complained as Blaise came back and set in the booth across from him and Hermione.

"You two really need to tell me what occurs in that Heads' Dorms of yours," Blaise said.

"Why, it's boring there?" Hermione asked.

"Because, I simply wish to know and it doesn't sound boring," Blaise replied answering the question. "Don't move Granger," he told her, noticing her friends getting up and leaving.

"Even if I were to move, they wouldn't know it was me," she replied.

"Unless they somehow know that Pansy is out somewhere around Hogsmeade and they saw her somewhere else," Blaise said.

"Are they gone yet?" she asked.

"Yeah, now, you must tell me what goes on."

"Nothing goes on Blaise, least not what you're thinking," Draco said. Hermione hopped that he wouldn't say anything about falling asleep last night like they did reading a Muggle book.

"Oh yes, that's why she's wearing your robes and tie."

"Blaise, nothing is happening, so shut your mouth and drop the subject," Hermione said.

"Wow Granger, defensive much," Blaise said before one of the ladies came to their table to take their order.

"What will it be," the girl asked.

"Butterbeer," Hermione said.

"Same as her," Draco told her.

"I'll take a firewhiskey," Blaise said before the woman walked away. "So Granger, what exactly have you been doing since you no longer have to help the Boy Who Escaped Death Twice and the Boy Who Won the Chess Game hunt down horcruxes in order to kill Voldy?"

"Really? He just died four months ago and you call him Voldy as if he didn't have any effect on the entire wizard world," Hermione replied as their drinks arrived.

"Hermione, calm down," Draco whispered to her from her left side. She tried to listen to him. She took a drink of her butterbeer and sat there listening as the boys talked about who they thought was going to make the Quidditch team for Slytherin once the season officially started.

"Draco, what have you two been doing?" Blaise asked once Hermione got up to go use the bathroom.

"Nothing, I've already told you that."

"I don't believe that. You two must have fought at least."

"No, we've just stayed away from each other mainly. We've avoided any possible fighting by setting rules when she originally moved into the Dorms."

"I'm surprised you haven't tried to slither in yet, then again Granger wouldn't allow it." Draco kicked Blaise under the table and saw that Hermione was coming back to the table; the polyjuice potion had already worn off and she had taken off his robe and tie. "What was that for mate?"

"You know what it was for," Draco said, getting out of the both so that Hermione could get in.

"Where are you guys going to go after here?" Blaise asked.

"Aren't you coming with us?" Draco asked.

"No, I have to help Hagrid take care of whatever insane creature he has this week as punishment for goofing off completely in class," Blaise said, getting up and putting some gallons on the table to pay for the three drinks and leaving.

"What do you want to do?" Draco asked, turning to Hermione.

"I'd rather go back up to the castle or something since hanging around Hogsmeade may lead us to Ron, Harry, and Ginny."

"Alright, or we could go find a place in the woods and read."

"I didn't bring Macbeth."

"Back to the castle it is," he said before getting out of the booth. They walked back to the castle, taking streets behind the buildings so they wouldn't run into anyone. When they got back up to the Heads' Dorm, Hermione finally broke the silence.

"What is it you wanted to talk to me about?" she asked as they stepped into the main room.

"I wanted to ask you something, but it's probably stupid," he said, still walking to Hermione's room.

"Draco, why would it be stupid?" she asked walking to her room as well and putting her bag in the bottom of her closet as he jumped onto her bed in the exact same spot he was yesterday.

"It'd be stupid because I'm worried," he said, whispering so that she couldn't hear him even though she was now where she too was the previous night. He started reading, finishing two hours before dinner.

"Tell me now," Hermione said after Draco put the book on her shelf beside the rest of her Shakespeare.

"Hermione, it's nothing."

"If it's nothing then why won't you tell me?"

"Fine, if you want to know so badly I'll tell you," he said going over to the bed and sitting on the left side. "I feel like I shouldn't be hanging out with you so casually. I feel as if you shouldn't forgive me for all that has happened, from me insulting you to Bellatrix doing what she did and to the time I let the Death Eaters in on the night Dumbledore was killed by Snape. I feel like you shouldn't be comfortable enough around me to even share a Dorm let alone to let me into your room and read. Last night, I felt as though you weren't comfortable around me after you fell asleep and I was about to go to my own room until Crookshanks sat down on my bloody legs," he said standing up and about to leave but she caught his arm.

"Draco, sit back down." He looked back at her, standing there for a while longer before giving in and sitting down once more beside her. "Why would you try to leave? I too feel as if I shouldn't be comfortable around you, but for some bizarre unknown reason I am. And to make matters stranger than before, last night was honestly the best sleep I've gotten since fourth year." He laughed at her last statement. "What?" she asked hitting playfully on the arm after she sat up. "Why are you laughing?"

"Because, last night was also the best sleep I've had since Voldemort came back and they were planning on making me a Death Eater." There was silence for a few minutes. "Enough of this emotional stuff, what are reading next? Magic? Adventure? Death? War?"

"The Chronicles of Narnia: the Magician's Nephew."

"So we're starting a series? How many books are there and how long are they?"

"There are seven books, and each one we can probably finish in a single night."

"Are you sure that they aren't all horcruxes? He did have seven of them right?"

"Shut up and start reading," she said getting up, about to get a butterbeer. "Do you want butterbeer?"

"No, but you should bring me a firewhiskey."

"If any of the professors find out about them, you'll be the one getting in trouble," she said before walking out of her room and over to the kitchen. She just shut the fridge after she got the two drinks, when there was a knock on the door.

"Hold on!" Draco called from the bedroom. She quickly put the drinks back in the fridge in case it was a professor coming in.

"Where is she Malfoy?" Harry asked from the other side of the door, Hermione couldn't really hear what they were saying so she moved a bit closer but only resulted in running into the small table.

"What are you talking about Potter?"

"Hermione, she's not in the Gryffindor Common Room and none of her stuff is in her dorm according to Ginny. So where is she and what have you done to her?" Ron asked.

"Hermione, tell your friends I've done nothing," Draco said, looking over to her in the kitchen. She walked over to the door.

"Guys, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"What are we doing here, what are you doing here?" Ron asked.

"McGonagall had me move into the Heads' Dorm in order to try to restore the peace between our houses," she said walking back over to the kitchen, having her friends come inside. Ron glared at Draco as Hermione threw two butterbeers to Harry, one for him and one for Ron. She brought the firewhiskey over along with her butterbeer and gave the former to Draco who sat on the couch.

"Has he hurt you 'Mione?" Harry asked, sitting in one of the chairs while Ron took the other chair and Hermione sat on the right side of Draco on the couch.

"No Harry, and he hasn't brainwashed me either Ronald," she said taking a drink of the butterbeer.

"Hermione, I'm going to hex him back into the Battle if I found out he forced you to move in here or if he hurts you or if he forces you to do anything," Ron said, once again taking another huge drink of the butterbeer Hermione had given him, finishing it off. Draco stood up and went to go get a bottle of firewhiskey for Ron and stood there, waiting for him to take it.

"You just saw me go get this, I haven't done anything to it, I swear on Hermione's life."

"Do not swear on her life. I don't care if she trusts you fully or not, but don't swear on something as important as that," he nearly yelled, slowly taking the bottle from Draco, who took the empty one and went to throw it away before coming back and sitting down on Hermione's left side.

"Ron calm down, I told you that we wouldn't get carried away before I knocked on their door mate," Harry said. "Speaking of which, I don't trust myself, give her yours as well Ron," he said, handing Hermione his wand. Hermione took the wand.

"I'll give her the wand, if he gives her his wand," Ron said, still glaring at Draco.

"Fine Weasley," Draco said taking his wand out of his sleeve. "Here Hermione," she took his wand then Ron gave her his as well, glaring at Draco all the while.

"So, Malfoy, what have you been doing since, you know?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, what have you been doing since you no longer have any duties as a Death Eater such as torturing Muggleborns? Or have you have forgotten what your sweet aunt did to our Hermione?" Ron added.

"Give me my wand Hermione," Draco whispered, turning towards her.

"Draco, don't," she whispered back.

"You know how I feel about that subject though."

"Don't, go cool down. Fly on your broom or go help Blaise at Hagrid's, just please don't do something stupid that I'm going to hate you for," she whispered, handing him his wand, trusting him to leave.

"'Mione, what are you doing? Why'd you give him his wand?" Ron asked, standing up.

"Sit down, Weasley," Draco said, standing up and walking over to the door. "Unlike you, I actually have some brains and can control myself, my actions, and my words," he finished before leaving, going to the library, and getting a book before going back down their corridor, but walking past it so the boys inside wouldn't see him when they left

"What was that about?" Harry asked Hermione.

"He doesn't like talking about the war or what happened at the Manor," she replied looking down to her right arm.

"Have you actually forgiven him Hermione?" Ron asked, shouting the question.

"The war has taken it's toll on all of us Ronald, even he regrets some of the things he has done in the past," she said getting up and throwing away her bottle.

"Hermione!" Ron said, getting up and walking over to her, taking her right arm and holding it tightly, causing it to hurt again. "Have you forgot what his aunt did to you? How he has treated you in the past since first year?"

"Let go of me Ron. I have not forgot, but that doesn't mean that I can not forgive him," she said, trying to escape him.

"Ron, let go of her," Harry said, walking over to them and trying to pry Ron's hand off Hermione's arm. "Ron you're hurting her."

"So? Malfoy's going to hurt her way worse than I am right now."

"No he's not Ron, if Hermione trusts the bloke, so should we," Harry said.

Ron slowly let go of her arm. "Don't come crying to me if he hurts you," Ron said storming out the door.

"Talk to him Harry, and tell him that I wasn't planning on going to him even in the rare chance that Draco would hurt me," Hermione said before inspecting her arm.

"I will, but I would be careful around him if I were you, around both of them," Harry said before throwing away his and Ron's bottles and leaving as well. After Harry turned down onto the main corridor and away from view, Draco went back inside.

"That went better than expected," he said when he walked in. He saw Hermione over in the kitchen, still holding her right arm and he could see that it was red even from the door. "What happened?" he asked walking over to her, worry in his voice.

"Nothing, Ron just, nothing," she said, letting her arms fall back down to their sides. He took her arm gently. "Draco don't, please."

"Weasel did this to you?" he asked, trying not to touch where he had left marks in fear of making it worse. "I shouldn't have left," he whispered, mainly to himself.

"What were you going to do? I would have been more mad at you if you would have hexed him or something."

"Who said I would have to use magic?"

"Even if you wouldn't have used magic, after you would attack Ron, Harry would possibly attack you."

"So you would rather be hurt than have me attacked?"

"Let's see, two of my best friends and the person I'm forced to share a living quarters with fighting, me getting hurt. Yup, because otherwise all three of you would be in trouble depending on how badly it would get out of hand and then I wouldn't hear the end of it until I take my final breath on my deathbed from Harry and Ron going on about how I shouldn't trust you and that you're going to hurt me worse than what Ron just did."

"They actually said that last bit? And don't say that you're forced to share a living quarters with me, it makes it sound like you don't like it here."

"Ron did before he stormed out of here. And how do you know that I do even like it here?"

"Because of our earlier conversations and because you wouldn't let me in your room if you didn't. You still in the mood to go to the Great Hall for dinner?"

"Not really, no," she said, going over and sitting on the couch. "What do we have in the fridge?"

"Nothing but drinks," he said, walking over and placing the book he got down on the coffee table. "I'll go down to the kitchen to get some food if you want."

"Take my bag, it should have some containers that you can put the food in."

"It's in your closet right?" he called, walking over to her room.

"Yeah, it should be," she called back. He came back out with the bag. "Before you go down there can you hand me a book I have in there?"

"Which one?"

"The one about dragons."

"Dragons? Really Hermione, you're suddenly interested in dragons? This wouldn't have anything to do with having to share space with a dragon would it?" he asked, searching for the book, smirking of course.

"Shut up and give me the book," she said smiling. He walked the book over to her.

"Anything else?"

"No, thank you though."

"Whatever," he said walking out, smiling. She picked the book up and started reading.

He came back with the food thirty minutes later. "Sorry, the house elves started talking to me." She got up and walked over to the table where he was getting the food out of her bag.

"What all did you get?"

"Just a random collection, the house elves thought that I should have went to the Great Hall so I had to be careful and take food when they weren't looking." She put the book down on the coffee table and went over to kitchen, taking out plates for them to eat on. "Tell me what happened," he said when they had started eating.

"Why?"

"I want to know what that Weasley spawn did to you."

"All he did really was yell at me for trusting you and accusing me of forgetting what you and your family as done to me in the past. Then he took my wrists and held them tightly until Harry came over and stopped him," she said.

"I thought you said the other day that they were your friends and that they wouldn't hurt you."

"So I was wrong."

"Next time don't be wrong, that way you won't get hurt."

"Ha ha," she said before they finished the meal in silence. After they were done, they had put the leftovers away in the fridge and started to do the dishes when there was a knock on the door. Hermione went over and opened it. "Hello Ginny," she said walking back over to the sink.

"No, I'll take care of these, you go talk," Draco said, taking the plate she just picked up away from her.

"Hey Hermione. What did my idiotic brother do this time?"

"He just yelled and hurt my arms a bit," Hermione said sitting down on the couch while Ginny sat on a chair.

"So, that's why you weren't at dinner tonight?"

"Yeah."

"Why'd you move in here then? And without telling me or the others?"

"McGonagall thought that if the Head Girl and the Head Boy were actually in the Heads' Dorm that we could reform the old peace as it was before Voldemort came back to power and before the war. I didn't tell you or the others because I was too busy moving my stuff, and I didn't want you to over react, much like Ronald did when he found out tonight."

"Fair point," Ginny said.

"Hermione, do either one of you want anything to drink?" Draco asked after he finished the dishes.

"Butterbeer, Malfoy," Ginny said.

"Got it only female Weasley child, 'Mione?"

"Same thing," Hermione responded.

"Way to try to decrease the insult there," Ginny told Draco when he brought the butterbeers to them.

"I tried at least," he said before going to his room to work on his essays even though his room was a mess. Ginny stayed until it was thirty minutes until curfew.

"Bye 'Mione, you must give updates," Ginny said, throwing away her bottle and getting ready to leave.

"Bye Gin," Hermione said before Ginny left the Heads' Dorm.

"Did you really tell her about the reading," Draco asked from his door frame.

"Don't act as if you haven't told any of your Slytherin friends, besides she said she wasn't going to tell anyone," she said going to the kitchen to throw away her butterbeer bottle.

"I haven't told any of my Slytherin friends," he said following her into the kitchen.

"You haven't?"

"No, I thought that you wouldn't want me to in case they tell Pansy who would tell the entire wizarding world."

"Fair point, are we going to read or not?" she asked, facing him.

"Right, let me just go take a shower real quickly," he said before leaving the kitchen and picking up some stuff from his room before going to their bathroom. While he was taking a shower, she changed into her more comfortable Muggle clothes to sleep in and cleaned his room since he still had clothes everywhere. She had just finished when he appeared in the doorway of his room dressed with the old clothes in his hands. "What are you doing Hermione?" he asked smirking and putting the clothes he was holding in the pile with the others.

"Your room was horrid, Draco," she said turning to face him.

"Maybe I liked having clothes all over the floor."

"You also apparently like getting ink on your clothes then."

"What?"

"You got ink on one of you Slytherin ties."

"Where is it?" he asked, going through all of the clothes.

"Draco, I took the stain out, calm down."

"Then why would you even tell me there was ink in it?" he asked, fixing all the clothes again.

"To try to get you to not leave this place as messy as it was."

"How rude you are Hermione Jean Granger," he said, going over to her room. She left his room, shutting the door and going to get a water bottle with butterbeer in it from the fridge.

"Draco, is the water bottle that had pumpkin juice from last night still in there?" she called towards her room.

"Yeah, I'll take it to the kitchen before we leave for classes and breakfast in the morning."

"Alright," she said, walking back to her room with the butterbeer and laying down on the right side of the bed.

"Ready for me to start reading?" he asked, after stealing a drink of the butterbeer.

"Yeah, but fair warning. I'm really tired, and I'm only going to fall asleep faster due to the book smelling awesome since it's really old."

"You smell books?"

"Yes, it's completely normal. Just smell it," she said, taking another drink of the butterbeer.

"Hermione Granger, you are completely insane," he said, smelling the book anyway. "Holy Salazar Slytherin, it does smell awesome."

"Told you, now read," she said putting the butterbeer on the end table beside her.

As Draco read, he made comments here and there about the characters and especially about Queen Jadis and her comment about magic and royal blood. They both started to fall asleep just before chapter six of the book.


	3. Chapter 3

Hermione woke up around five, and slowly got up. She put all of her books into her bag and put her homework in it as well, neatly so that she wouldn't rip it. He woke up soon after, hearing her move about.

"What time is it Hermione?"

"Five fifteen, why?"

"Alright," he said getting up as well. She picked up her clothes and went to go take a shower and get ready. He put both of the Muggle water bottles into the sink so that they could wash them later and then went to go get ready as well.

After he was dressed, he still heard Hermione in the shower so he went over to the fireplace. His father was supposed to use the floo network any minute now.

"Draco, Draco are you there my son?" he heard his father say through the flames, his face taking form.

"Yes Father, keep it down though. Her- Granger is in the shower."

"How is the plan going thus far?"

"Father, I do not like using her like this. Why couldn't you have done it a different way?"

"Listen, that mudblood is the only was our family will ever get back into our previous state that we were in before the fall of the Dark Lord. You will trick her into marrying you, even if you have to use one of the Three Unforgivables or use potions. Do you understand boy?" the elder Malfoy asked through the flames just after the water was being turned off in the bathroom.

"Yes, father. But I still don't understand why it must be her." By now Hermione was already quietly walking out of the bathroom.

"She is friends with Potter, she is one of their great war heros. Don't tell me that you've grown feelings for this Mudblood-scum. Have you forgotten the ways in which you have been broughten up? Do you- like the others- think instead that we should have to pay for wanting to be on whichever side wins? Do as I say, force her into marrying you in any way necessary in order for us to reclaim our place in the wizarding world-." He was going to say more, but he had seen Hermione walking up behind Draco even though his son had not.

"You're behind me aren't you? How much have you heard Hermione?" he asked not turning around, but instead looking up and at her through the mirror that hung above the fireplace.

"Enough, Malfoy. Was that really what you had been planning from day one? To force me into a marriage just so your stupid family could climb back to the top where you once were, not even deserving it? Did you really think that I would help you and your horrid father and the rest of your family once I found the plan out? Did you think that I never would find out?"

"Hermione I wasn't going to-" Once again a Malfoy was cut off by Granger.

"Can you truthfully say that you didn't wish to follow the plan nor were you going to?" After she finished talking, she went over to her room, slamming the door and sitting down in front of it inside. He ran over to it, trying to push it open.

"Hermione, please let me in so I can explain," he begged, giving up on trying to force the door open.

"Go away Malfoy," she said, crying. "How could I have been so stupid as to think that I could trust you? That you had changed? How could I have been so stupid to even feel comfortable around you without worry?" This final bit she said to herself, but he still heard it through the door.

He walked away over to the couch to think, feeling hurt and stupid. Why had he agreed to his father's plan at the start of the term before he got on the train? Why had he been so stupid to actually try to do it? To contact his father at a time that Hermione could overhear? How could he be so idiotic to actually spend time with her and actually come to have possible feelings for her? Was he having feelings for her or was it something else? Was he simply still following the plan? Then again what part of the plan including caring about her, her feelings, and what she wanted? He soon got up and went back to his room picking up a bag that had his books in it and left the dorm, feeling regret and guilt.

Hermione had heard the main door slam shut. Was it merely a trick or was he really gone for now? She got up and checked the main room finding nothing. She then went back to her room and picked up her beaded bag that still had all her textbooks and homework and left to the Great Hall after making sure that she didn't look like she was just crying. She didn't want Ron to have the upper hand and find out that he had been right and that Draco did in fact hurt her. She ate very little at breakfast, she didn't look up or notice that Draco was staring at her most of the time, and she gave very short replies when her friends tried to ask her something. In class, she answered less questions than normal, and with much less excitement.

After all her classes were over she went straight to the back of the library, where she worked on all of her homework, missing dinner, and then read until she had to go back to the dorm. When she got there, Draco was in his room, he was working on his homework since he couldn't sleep. She went to her room and changed before going to her bed to try to sleep. She laid there for an hour, rolling over and over again failing to find a comfortable position to sleep in. She couldn't fall asleep, the bed smelled too much like him. She went out to the main room and tried to go to sleep on the couch, failing once more. She then went and got a drink of butterbeer before going over to one of the chairs and transfiguring it into a Muggle recliner, trying once more to fall asleep. She was almost fully asleep when Draco came out of his room to get a butterbeer.

"Hermione, what are you doing out here?" he asked, confused as to why she didn't sleep in her bed which was certainly more comfortable than any of the furniture out here.

"Go away Malfoy, I'm not in the mood to deal with you," she said tiredly.

"Will you at listen to what I have to say then?" he asked, walking over to the couch, but not sitting yet. She rolled over, now looking at him, which he took as a sign to continue. "Even if I had started out following his idea, doesn't mean that I had wanted to once you actually got here." She remained silent and he stood up from the couch and went over to her chair, sitting on the ground beside it so that his head was just above the armrest of the Muggle recliner. "Trust me, please 'Mione, I don't want to use you like he wants nor do I want to hurt you, in anyway," he tried to convince her. She still remained quite, not responding in anyway. "Say something, do something. I'd rather you hex me out of the castle then remain silent, honestly. It's quite frightening."

"Can't be any more frightening than Voldemort or your father," she finally countered. "Malfoy, go to bed, we'll talk about this tomorrow."

"Promise?" he asked excitedly, at least she was giving him a chance.

"Yeah, whatever just go back to bed. You fucking dork," she told him, turning over to hide a smile.

"Did Hermione Granger, Gryffindor Princess and Perfect Girl of the Gold Trio just curse?" he asked her mockingly, standing up and laying down next to her.

"Malfoy, what are you doing?"

"What I always do, fall asleep with you near me," he replied innocently as if he were six.

"I still haven't forgiven you yet," she told him, rolling over to face him. Now they were nearly nose to nose.

"Be that as it may you haven't tried to hex me, jinx me, or cast any other type of spells on me yet, so there's a plus," he said, kissing the top of her head.

"No, but it's definitely on my to-do list," she told him right before they both started to drift off to sleep.

"Morning," Draco said, as he saw Hermione was waking up.

"Go away Malfoy," she told him, trying to get up but being stopped by him.

"I would but I think I know why you didn't fall asleep in your bed last night," he said, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"And why's that?" she asked, trying to cross her arms as best she could.

"You missed me and that place reminded you too much of me," he told her as if it were the most apparent thing in the universe.

"You wish," she said, trying her best to lie to him and get out of his hold, failing at both. "I need to get ready for class Malfoy."

"Than I'll go with you," he said, getting up which caused her to get up.

"Malfoy please, I need to take a shower and change."

"You can only go if you accept my apology," he offered.

"Fine, now let me go."

"You should repeat: I accept the ever loving Draco Malfoy's apology and promise to not be so stubborn and to listen to him next time I get angry at him for some random reason," he tried jokingly.

"You wish," she said smiling. "What's gotten you like this anyway?"

"I have no idea what's so ever to be honest. Maybe it's the fact that Weasley and Potter can't use your essays to help them write their own from now on," he told her as she went to take a shower and get dressed. "Hermione, can I ask you a question?" he asked, sitting on her bed as she made sure she had all of her homework and needed school supplies.

"You just did but you can ask one other question."

"Stop acting like Dumbledore and listen. Are you and Weasel, um, you know?"

"Couple things, one, glad you caught who I was imitating considering you had a hand in his death. As for Ron, no we're not dating, I thought you would have figured that out from last weekend when he practically asked me out and I refused. Why do you need to know?"

"Did you have to bring that up Hermione? As for you two dating, no reason."

"Malfoy, I just forgave you. You can't possibly be thinking of planes to continue with what your father wants."

"Maybe I want to do this. Do you have to keep calling me Malfoy?" he asked as they started heading towards the Great Hall for breakfast, causing everyone they passed to stare.

"Yes, until I can fully learn to trust you, you will be called Malfoy. If you want to do this for your father's reason than stop, but if you want to do this because of you and a whole different thing that's not even related to your father's idea than you can continue with this." Out of nowhere he pulled her into one of the hidden rooms on the side of the hall, out of sight from the other students.

"If you want to play like that, Granger, then so can I. As for whose reason I'm doing this for," he told her, walking closer to her. She didn't back up but rather stood her ground. "You know you can-" he started telling her, putting his hand on her cheek.

"Stop you when I must? Yeah, I know," she said, pulling a smirk that would make any Slytherin pride.

"Granger, Granger, Granger," he said, shaking his head.

"Malfoy," she retorted, stepping closer to him.

"You know, the entire castle is going to be talking about us just simply walking in the halls by each other," he whispered to her. "If I really wanted to listen to my father and get the Malfoy name to a better reputation, than I'd simply have to be friends with all three of you rather than doing what I'm about to do."

"Oh, and what's that?" she dared him. He closed the gap between them in a kiss. To them it seemed like forever when in reality it was merely a few seconds.

"Better than Weasel and Krum?" he asked her with a smirk, causing her to push him backwards.

"Look at that, someone thinks he's all special," she replied mockingly. "And whose to say that Ron and I have kissed?"

"Oh please, he's too defensive about you for you to have not kissed. Potter acts more like your brother - especially considering you're both only children- so I can't exactly see you two getting together while Weasley is a defensive boyfriend type, but at the same time an abusive one."

"I'm not even going to reply to any of that, but we have to go if we want to get something to eat before going to Slughorn for potions," she said, pulling him out of the room and letting him go when out in the hall once more where he fixed his robes to look like they had just been ironed.

"You know, everyone is going to be talking about us walking by each other by lunch," he pointed out as they walked toward the Great Hall.

"More like by our second class," she countered.

"Yeah, but I hope they don't get the wrong idea."

"Oh, and what would that be?" she asked, trying to hide the hurt in her voice.

"I simply mean that I don't want them to think that we're dating because if they do they may think I'm using you."

"As you were planning to when you first had me move into the Heads' Dorm?"

"Don't bring up my father's plan Hermione, " he told her gently, yet somehow still having a dark tone behind it.

"Malfoy, how am I supposed to trust you?"

"You just do it, without doubting me or my motivations at all?" he offered as they entered the Great Hall. After the Battle McGonagall thought it would be a good idea to stop dividing the houses during the day, separating only at dinner, so now they could sit anywhere. Since this new rule, no one sat with the Slytherins nor they with them, until now. Draco Malfoy sat beside Hermione Granger as she sat across from Harry and Ron.

"Malfoy," Harry greeted him without any emotion in his voice. Ron, however, had hatred in his voice while greeting him.

"Potter, Weasley," he greeted in response, using the same tone that they each used.

"What do you think you're doing here?" Ron asked.

"I, unlike you, am trying to undo the hatred between houses with Hermione."

"Malfoy," Hermione warned him quietly so that only he could hear as he was about to pull out his wand.

"You don't deserve to be here, nor do you deserve to serve as Head Boy and get Hermione or forgiveness, from anyone," Ron said getting up and storming out of the Great Hall.

"What was that about?" she asked Harry, noticing something was more wrong with Ron than normal.

"He's still upset over the fact that you moved in with ferret-boy. Worried that you two will do something before he can even tell you how he feels," Harry explained while eating.

"He does realize that I know how he feels and I see us as nothing more than friends, right?"

"Not really, he may or may not think that you like him back and The Bouncing Ferret is just messing with your emotions, slipped you a love potion, or has you under the Imperius Curse."

"Hold on, did you call me Ferret again?" Draco asked.

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. Why does it matter, Ferret?"

"Oh would you both behave," Hermione said. "And I'm pretty sure if Malfoy were to slip a potion or spell on me, I would have defended myself," she continued, not paying attention to when Harry mumbled 'I will if he does.'

"Tell Weasel there is too many flaws in his idea," Malfoy said.

"Such as?"

"If I put her under the Imperius Curse, than she wouldn't just be sitting there and she do what I want her to do all the time. If it were a love potion, neither you or I could pry her off of me," he explained with his almost always present smirk.

"Thanks for the metal image, Malfoy," Harry said, putting his food down, losing his appetite.

"Tell Ron that I have as much chance falling in love with him as the Basilisk has shagging the Giant Squid," she said, causing both the boys to almost spit out what they were drinking.

"Yeah, I think it best if you tell him. I couldn't without laughing."

"But Harry, what if there is a repeat of what happened in the Common Room?"

"Why don't we sacrifice Malfoy?" Harry offered.

"No, I think the Boy Who Lived has escaped death so many times that whatever Weasel-be is going to do to you is nothing."

"Agreed, Harry shall sacrifice himself for yet another time."

"I hate you both," he said, standing up and leaving to find Ron.

"Where's the other Weasley?" Malfoy asked as they both headed to potions.

"I'm not sure, why?"

"No reason, just thought that she might want to stop her brother and protect her boyfriend while defending her best friend," Draco said as they descended the stairs and came to the entrance of the potions classroom where everyone was standing.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked the others.

"Slughorn's in there talking to the Headmistress," Blaise explained.

"What do you think it's about?" Nott asked coming over as well.

"Probably about Gryffindor and Slytherin not getting along," Draco answered.

"Hey, Gryffindor isn't the only house against Slytherin, the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs aren't too fond of you as well," she defended.

"Nobody asked for your opinion Mudblood," Nott told her.

"Don't call her that," Draco said, about to punch him in the face.

"Draco, it's fine, drop your fist," Hermione whispered to him, holding his fist back from impact.

"I knew she moved into the dorm and all, but this right here is insane."

"You know, Granger, you are the only Lion here in the Snake's' den right now," Blaise pointed out.

"No I'm not, Dean and Seamus are over in that corner," she said pointing over to the two boys.

"Yes, but they aren't paying attention," Draco pointed out, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind her.

"Malfoy what are you doing?"she asked him quietly so the others wouldn't hear over everyone else talking.

"Oh so it's back to Malfoy now is it? What happened to Draco?" He asked sarcastically. "Besides if I don't do this, they will."

"And what is 'this'?"

"This is me protecting you from my snakes."

"Yet the biggest snake is right behind me and has his arms wrapped around me."

"Well, if by biggest snake you mean-" he started before she cut him off by elbowing him in the stomach. "That hurt."

"Can't be as bad as third year's punch, I could always make it worse than that though."

Before he could reply, McGonagall came out of the classroom and everyone went in just as the other Gryffindors started to show up for class.

By the end of all the classes, all the students had more homework than the weeks before combined. Nobody was done with yesterday's homework and now this. The only one who was caught up was Hermione, despite her thinking she was behind since she didn't have the potion essay for Slughorn made yet. As soon as she entered the Heads' Dorm she went over and sat on the floor in front of the end table, taking out all of her homework to work on.

"Really 'Mione, classes just ended and you're working on the homework?" Draco exclaimed when he walked in and plopped down on the couch behind her.

"You should do yours too."

"Oh is that so," he challenged . She could feel his breath on the back of her neck as he moved her hair off to one side.

"Malfoy," she warned trying to move but instead got turned around by him.

"Come on Hermione, lighten up a bit," he told her as he moved to the ground and was now hovering over her.

"Draco, I still don't know if I trust you despite us kissing earlier," she said, staring into his grey eyes.

"I know," he said sadly, moving to sit next to her instead.

"How am I supposed to trust someone who was so willing to use me in the most horrid way just to clear their family's name?" She asked, mainly to herself, causing him to stand up to head to his room before she grabbed his hand. "Draco sit back down."

"But you said-"

"I know what I said, but how can I trust you if I don't hang out around you more?"

"Hermione Granger, you have no idea how insane your Gryffindor logic is," he said shaking his head while wearing his classic Malfoy smirk.

"Just work on your homework," she said smiling while going back to her essays, sitting on the couch this time. After Draco took out all his homework to work on, he too sat on the couch.

"Hermione, how far are you?" Draco asked a couple hours after they started.

"About halfway, why?" she asked not looking up from the parchment.

"Cause it's time to go down to supper," he said putting down his essay down and trying to pull her up after he stood.

"Can't I finish this essay before we head down?" she asked, putting her quill down after almost smudging the ink.

"Nope, we go now."

"Fine, give me a minute," she replied, putting her shoes back on.

"Finally the mudblood cracks," Draco said jokingly.

"Malfoy why do you get defensive for others calling me that and then you do it and it's perfectly fine?"

"Cause they don't live with you nor do they get to do this without you killing them," he said, smirking and putting his arms around her

"Are we leaving or can I go back to my essay?"

"Fine," he said, dropping his arms before they started walking down to the Great Hall.

"Where are you sitting?"

"Do you want me to sit with the lions or with the snakes?"

"It doesn't matter to me."

"Fine, in that case I'll sit with you guys and mess with Weasel and Scarhead."

"Draco, no, you can't sit with us if that's the only reason."

"Ugh, that's no fun."

"You can find other sources of fun you know," she pointed out as they went down staircases.

"Yeah, but that takes too long in order to break old habits."

"Then don't sit with us if you aren't going to try to break them."

"Hermione," he tried to protest but couldn't think of what else to say.

"I'm serious Draco, if you sit with us then you have to promise to try not to mess with Harry and Ron, or any of the other Gryffindors."

"I won't mess with Potter, but Weasley is a different story. I can tolerate Potter since he is not being as horrid as Weasel who won't even try to forgive," he said as the got onto the first floor.

"Fine, but don't go overboard on the whole thing, please," she begged before they walked into the Great Hall and sat down at the Gryffindor table across from Harry, Ron, and Ginny. They got stares from nearly the entire Great Hall as they sat down.

"Hey 'Mione, Malfoy," Harry and Ginny greeted them both.

"Hello Harry, Ginny, Ronald," Hermione greeted them back.

"Potter, Weasley," Draco replied, picking up some of the food and putting it onto the plate.

"Are you joining us for Hogsmeade this weekend?" Ginny asked Hermione as they all ate.

"Yeah, I may catch up with you after I finish everything that the Professors give us."

"Malfoy what about you?" Harry asked him, surprising everyone around them.

"You want to invite the Death Eater to join us on a Hogsmeade weekend? Have you lost your mind Harry?" Ron asked loudly.

"Ronald Bilius Weasley, you need to get over it," his sister told him.

"If Hermione, Gin, and I all can let the past go, so can you Ron. If there is one of us that would be allowed to not forgive him about his past with us and with Voldemort, it'd be Hermione or me, not you," Harry told him.

"Sure, I guess I could join you guys, if you don't mind of course," Draco replied, looking at Ron.

"Ridiculous, that's what this bloody is. First Hermione moves in with you, then you decided it's fine to eat with us, and now you're joining us for a Hogsmeade trip. Why don't you just reveal your plan now?"

"There is no plan Weasley. You just can't get over the fact that Hermione doesn't feel the same as you do about her," Draco told him, causing Ron to pull out his wand.

"Ronald sit back down," Hermione told him.

"Are you seriously siding with him?"

"Yes, now sit down and put the wand away."

"Listen to her mate, we don't need to lose any house points because you couldn't control your temper," Harry warned him.

"Fine, just know that I'm not going to accept him as easily as you lot."

"You never do Ron," Ginny told him as he sat back down and put the wand away before starting to eat again.

"Hermione, since Malfoy is joining us this weekend, you have to as well, no matter if you are finished with the homework or not," Harry said.

"Fine, we'll meet you at the Gryffindor portrait," Hermione agreed.

"Alright, if we don't come out within five minutes of you guys waiting than just go."

"Okay, I'm going back to the Heads' Dorm to finish my essays from today. Draco you coming with me or staying here?" Hermione asked him as she had finished eating.

"I'm going to stay here, dessert hasn't even came out yet."

"Alright, see you later then. Bye guys," she said before leaving the Great Hall and going up to work on homework once more on the couch, sitting in the middle of it after changing into pajamas since they were more comfortable than her uniform.

"So, um, Malfoy, how was your summer?" asked Ginny awkwardly.

"It was alright I suppose, my father had to help round up a bunch of Death Eaters that were high ranking and more faithful than most."

"So those like Bellatrix?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, except for the fact that Mrs. Weasley killed Bella,"

"What else was she supposed to do when Bellatrix was trying to kill me?" Ginny asked defensively.

"I'm not saying that it was wrong of her to do so. I mean, Bellatrix had used the Cruciatus Curse more times than Voldemort had killed people it seemed like."

"That's something we can agree on at least," Ron said miserably.

"Right, I think I should go. I'll see you all on Saturday," Draco said, standing up and leaving to the Heads' Dorm as well.

"I can't believe you told him how I felt about Hermione," Ron said to Harry after Draco was out of earshot.

"If I wouldn't have, I'm certain he would have found out on his own, Hermione did," Harry told him while still eating.

"Hey 'Mione," Draco said upon entering the dorm room.

"Supper is not done yet, why'd you come back?" Hermione asked curiously while still working on her essay.

"Weasley said some stuff and it was uncomfortable for me without you there," he told her, bringing two butterbeers from the fridge over to the couch and sitting down beside her in the corner of the couch.

"Thanks," she said, taking the butterbeer. "Wait you actually tried to make conversation with them?"

"Yeah, Future Potter started it by asking about my summer and then we started talking about Bellatrix and Weasley jumped in before Weasel said something in a manner that wasn't the best," he told her, picking up his essays again after taking a drink of butterbeer and putting the bottle on the coffee table in front of them.

"Interesting," Hermione said, looking at a page in her book as a reference before going back to the parchment.

"Hermione, you already have more than double the requirement that Filtwink wanted for Charms. Why bother writing anymore?"

"Because I need to in order to get perfect grades still," she said, finishing up the essay with a couple more sentences.

"Can we read a book now?" he asked after a while, getting bored with writing his essay for McGonagall.

"Fine go get it," she said, putting down the last essay she had to write that was due in a couple days for Muggle Studies. "Which book did you get?" she asked when he came back after getting the book and changing into pajamas as well.

"The last Narnia book," he told her sitting back down. She moved closer to him and leaned against him as they both laid their legs out on the couch. "Does this mean you're starting to trust me?" he asked with a smirk as she took as drink of butterbeer then sat the bottle on the table.

"Shut up, and start reading," she said smiling as she leaned closer into his chest even more so and covered both of their legs and her chest up with a blanket that she summoned from her room.

"Why bother? You're already falling asleep," he told her.

"No I'm not," she protested.

"Sure you're not," he said sarcastically as he started reading anyway. He stopped when he was at the start of the second chapter. "Told you," he said, not knowing that she was still up but had simply closed her eyes. He put the book down the book on the table and extended the couch a little and rolled over before pulling her closer to him. "Night Hermione."

"Good night Draco," she whispered just before they both fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

"You're elbow 'Mione, move your elbow," Draco told her, slowly waking up with her elbow pressed against his stomach.

"Sorry Draco," she said, sitting up on the couch.

"It's only three o'clock what are you doing?" he asked her, sitting up a bit so that he was leaning on his elbow.

"I don't know, I just have a bad feeling about this."

"About what?" he asked confused, rubbing her back with one of his hands.

"Something's not right, but I don't know what."

"It'll be fine til the morning why don't you go back to sleep," he offered, laying back down. She layed back down but couldn't fall asleep. "It's bugging you still isn't it?"

"Yeah," she confessed, rolling over to face him.

"Why worry about something that you don't even know what it is yet?"

"Because that's how I've had to be since first year. Sorcerer's Stone, giant snake, escaped prisoner, triwizard tournament, Voldemort's return, Umbridge, Dumbledore's Army, the half-blood prince's book, you fixing that cabinet, Dumbledore dying, erasing my family's memory of me before leaving them, hunting horcruxes, the battle, and tons of people we know dying as they fought to bring down Voldemort. I've never have had the chance on not worrying, Draco," she told him.

"Wait, you erased your mum and dad's memories?"

"Yeah, before we left to hunt horcruxes, I thought it best since it was the start of a war, or more the climax of a war. I didn't want the Death Eaters or Voldemort finding them and torturing them into finding me. They went to Australia while I was gone. After a few days when the battle was finished I went down and started looking for them, replacing their memories when I finally found them."

Draco took her right arm and rolled up the sleeve to see the now ever present tattoo. "I," he started before stopping himself, not thinking she had felt the same.

"What is it?" she asked confused as to why he had stopped.

"My father will want to contact soon," he decided upon, lightly tracing the marks that his aunt had left on her arm.

"Oh, alright," she said, sounding disappointed almost. "Do you want me to leave when he does so?"

"No, I'd rather you be here in the room and just stay out of sight from his point of view from the flames."

"Alright," she said, laying her head on his shoulder and looking down to their arms. "Did it hurt?" she finally asked after some time had passed.

"It burned a bit, the same way it did when he would summon us or something," he said, trying to look anywhere but her.

"What about when he died?"

"Not really, it felt more like relief then to be honest. Why?"

"No reason," she said, getting up and heading towards her room.

"What are you doing?" he asked, sitting up.

"Taking a shower," she yelled out to him, looking for a Muggle T-shirt.

"Mind if I slither in?"

"In your dreams, just wait until I'm done if you want to take one."

"Fine, you're no fun."

"I know," she said before shutting the door, turning on the water, getting undressed, and getting in. Draco stood up and organized all of their stuff on the table, trying to put all of Hermione's essays in order. He then folded up the blanket and put it on the back of the couch, to lazy to take it over to her room.

"Fuck," he heard her yell in the bathroom after he heard the water be turned off. "Draco!"

"What's wrong?" he yelled back through the closed door, walking over to it.

"Can you bring me a pad?" she asked awkwardly, standing on a mat in the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her.

"Bloody hell Hermione, don't you know a spell for that?"

"No, now bring me one."

"Remind me to have you talk to my mum about the spell she uses," he said, walking to her room and looking through her trunk under her bed. He couldn't find it there so he went to the compartment in the closet where he pulled out a whole bag of them before walking over to the bathroom door. "Can I come in?"

"Hold on," she said, putting on a bra and a shirt before wrapping the towel around her as a skirt. "Alright."

"Where do you want me to put it?"

"Just hand it to me," she told him.

"Anything else?"

"Nope," she said before he left and shut the door, allowing her to finish getting ready in privacy.

"All yours," she said, walking out of the bathroom and seeing him reading a book.

"Thanks, if my father calls than try to keep him waiting, sorry before hand," he said, putting the book down and going to gather his stuff.

"I hate you," she yelled after him, picking up her essay from last night for Muggle Studies and continuing to working on it, lying down in front of the fire.

"Draco," she heard Lucius Malfoy say through the flames just as she wrote the final sentence.

"He's in the shower," she told the older wizard, sitting up.

"I see, well then, Miss Granger, can you tell him I called?"

"Actually, Draco told me to have you wait until he was out."

"Right, alert him that I'm here and then leave us." She stood up, rolling her eyes when her back was turned away from the flames, and went over to the bathroom door, knocking on it when the water was off.

"You can come in," Draco told her through the door, already getting dressed.

"You're father is here through the flames," she told him, trying to avoid looking at his body, as she sat down on the counter.

"Did he say anything bad to you?"

"Not really, more like bossed me around like a bloody house elf," she told him as he came over to the counter to look in the mirror in order to fix his hair.

"Well that's an improvement at least," he offered as he held his hand out to help her get off the counter.

"Sure it is," she said sarcastically, jumping off the counter without his help. "Remind me to get revenge for this."

"I'd rather not have a hand in my own downfall," he told her as they walked out of the bathroom. "Wait, Hermione whatever I may say to my father, please don't hold it against me," he begged her, whispering, after he stopped her in the tiny hall from the bathroom.

"Sure, if, of course, you promise that the horrid stuff you say is not true."

"It won't be," he told her before they continued on.

Hermione slammed her door to make Lucius think she had left then laid down on the couch, where the elder Malfoy could not see her, as Draco went over and sat before the flames.

"How is the plan going?" the elder asked as soon as he saw his son.

"As we hoped, Father. Although her walking in on our meeting the other day did slow it down a bit," he said, trying to ignore the urge to turn around or look at her through the mirror above his head.

"That is your fault, you could have told me to contact at night instead. Now on to more pressing matters, will she be willing to come over to the Manner for Christmas?"

"I do not know for sure, sir. I believe she usually spends Christmas with those poor Weasleys and her parents," he told his father.

"Well, we are Malfoys, thus you must do whatever is necessary to get her here. How are those two boys accepting this?"

"Potter is being more accepting than the Weasel. The She-Weasel and Potter even invited me to hang out with the four of them this weekend at Hogsmeade."

"And you said you would go?"

"Yes sir, Granger and I are to meet them inside the Gryffindor Common Room on Saturday, that is if she finishes every essay in creation," he added with a smirk.

"Speaking of essays, how is it that that Mudblood is still beating you in grades?" he asked disappointed once again.

"Because she's Granger and thinks she needs to do every bloody extra credit assignment despite her almost already having perfect grades for every class there is."

"Tell me, you haven't grown to have feelings for her, have you? I expect you to dump her flat once our name if repaired. We don't need her blood tarnishing our long family line."

"No sir, I haven't grown any feelings for her. It is all for the job and I understand what must be done," he lied.

"Right, don't get too close to her, if you do she won't be the only one to hurt you. I'll expect you both here for Christmas and I'll check in this time next week," Lucius threatened before disappearing. Draco stood up and walked over to the couch.

"Hermione," he started, trying to tell her he didn't mean it but getting cut off.

"I know Draco," she told him. "What time is it, you're blocking the clock?"

"It's six thirty-two," he answered, laying down with his back against her chest.

"We should head down to the Great Hall," she said aloud, laying her head against the back cushion of the couch.

"I vote we just skip classes and go to Hogsmeade or something," he offered.

"I think I've found another reason why you fall behind me in classes."

"Fine, can we stay here like this for a little longer?"

"Nope," she told him, trying to get up. "Holy Aslane, why are you so heavy?" she asked, stuck under him.

"Because I eat and I have muscles," he said, smirking while not moving.

"Draco, get up. I told a first year I'd help her before class," she told him, giving up on trying to escape.

"What's in it for me?"

"What do you want?"

"Oh, many things."

"I'll go with you to your stupid Manner for Christmas," she offered, surprising him enough to make him sit up and turn around to look at her.

"What? You're willing to go and deal with my father as well as watch him use house elves?"

"Yeah, that is if we go down to breakfast," she said, sitting down on the floor and grabbing her bag to put everything in it for class. "Where is all my stuff?"

"It's in your Muggle contraption thing that I saw you put the Potions essay in yesterday."

"One, it's called a binder. Two, did you sort them by class as well?"

"Yes, I thought you would want it to be organized."

"Thanks Draco," she said, surprised. "Ready?"

"Give me a second," he said, putting all his stuff in a bag. She went over and stood by the door. He walked over towards her and just stood there looking into her eyes.

"What's wrong?" she asked, confused as to why they weren't going yet. He stepped closer to her, waiting for her to back away. Rather than doing so, she closed the space between them. She dropped her bag as they continued to snog for a minute.

"Breakfast?" he asked as they broke apart from one another.

"Right, breakfast, help first year, class," she said before picking up her bag and leaving.

"Do you realize how fake my father is going to act with you there?"

"What about your mum?"

"Not as much, she sort of regrets not knowing Tonks or fixing her relationship with Sirius. I think she wants to catch up with Andromeda and know Lupin and Tonks' kid."

"She wants to know Teddy? You know, Harry is his Godfather we could have them come to the Weasleys' for Christmas."

"They would never want to do that," he said, taking her hand to hold it.

"You may go, if Gin says that Molly invited you."

"I don't want to go," he protested as they walked down more stairs.

"If I have to go to the Manner, you have to go to the Burrow. Plus this is the first year that my parents are staying at the Burrow for Christmas."

"Oh great two birds with one stone, so much fun," he said sarcastically as they walked into the Great Hall.

"Morning Hermione, hello Malfoy," Harry and Ginny said as they sat down across from them once again.

"Hey Ginny, Morning Harry," Hermione greeted back.

"Greetings Potter, salutations Weasley," Draco said, taking food.

"Way to go fancy Malfoy," Ginny told him. "Oh by the way, Mum owled me and you're invited to Christmas this year, as are your parents."

"Yes," Hermione said, loud enough for everyone in the Great Hall to look at her. "You have to go now, and Narcissa can come. Ohh, idea, Harry can you see if Andromeda will join us with Teddy?"

"Yeah, why?" he asked confused.

"Hermione is under the impression that she can get my mother, Andromeda, and Teddy together and have bridges be rebuilt," Malfoy informed them after taking a drink of pumpkin juice.

"Well, with the drama of that occurring, it's sure to cover anyone having sad feelings of Fred since it is the first Christmas without him. Bloody Death Eaters," Ginny said before continuing to eat.

"Um, is anyone else noticing that Weasley Whom Brings Down the Joy is missing?" Draco pointed out.

"Where is Ron?" Hermione asked them after noticing this as well.

"He has refused to get out of bed, thinking that you have betrayed us," Harry told them.

"Ugh, how long before class starts?" she asked, standing up.

"Close to an hour," Draco and Harry both said at the same time after checking their watches.

"If I'm not at our first class, consider me dead in the Gryffindor boys' room," she said before walking out.

"I should go with her shouldn't I?"

"If you want, but she can handle herself," Harry told him.

"Unless of course he takes her wand when she first walks in," Ginny said.

"Her punches are fair," Draco pointed out.

"Yeah, but she doesn't play Quidditch like us to get more upper body strength," Harry added.

"I'll see you two later then," he said, standing up and running after her, catching up just before she turned into the hall that had the Gryffindor Tower.

"Draco what are you doing?" she asked, stopping him from falling over.

"You may need backup," he said before they walked into the Common Room.

"Why did you bring a Slytherin in here?" one of the third years asked, shocked.

"Once you help save the wizarding world every single year that you're at school and still be top of your class, then you can do whatever you want as well," Hermione told the boy as she and Draco went up to the boys' dorm. "Ronald Weasley get out of bed now."

"Why should I 'Mione? You have gone to the dark side and are going to end up like Darth Vader in that one Muggle movie you had us all watch this past summer. If you're dead there is no point to living," he said, laying down on his bed, his face buried in his pillow.

"What's a movie and whose dark father?" Draco asked from beside her.

"I'll show you sometime in the future," she told him before turning back to Ron. "I'm not going to end up like him, and I've not gone to the dark side. Stop being childish and get ready, we have class soon."

"Hermione, you may be accepting of others, and Harry and Ginny may be forgiving as well. I on the other hand am not. Malfoy can die as much as I care," Ron said, rolling over to look at the pair of them.

"Ron, you're the only one being stubborn about this. Even Molly is giving him a chance and has invited both him and his parents to Christmas this year," she said, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Traitors, it's official all of you are traitors," he said dramatically.

"Weasley, you are worse than my mother on her period," Draco said, standing behind Hermione.

"He has a point you know," Hermione told him.

"Fine, I'll get up. Malfoy you have one bloody chance, you fuck this up and I get to be the first to kill you," Ron said, getting out of bed.

"Thanks Ron," Hermione told him, hugging him quickly before leaving the room with Draco following her. "How much longer till class?"

"Forty-five minutes," Draco informed her as they left Gryffindor Common Room.

"Did you get him up?" Harry asked when they sat down in the Great Hall.

"Yeah, but not without having everyone be called a traitor and being told that I'm going to end up like Darth Vader from Star Wars," Hermione told them, getting a chuckle from Ginny and Dean Thomas, who was sitting on the other side of Ginny with Seamus, Neville, and Luna.

"Plus, he said, and I quote, he's going to kill me if I fuck up my only shot, unquote. How is he so bloody dramatic?" Draco asked. "Tell me that the rest of your family isn't like this."

"In a way, Bill and Charlie are hardly around but this year they will both be there. As will Fleur Delacour from the Triwizard Tournament since she married Bill. Percy is, well, the same as he was here at Hogwarts- though a little less annoying I suppose. George too is the same though he is pranking a little more since he feels as if he must do twice as much with Fred being gone; I help him there by pranking. Mum loves practically anyone who walks through the door and is overly accepting. As for Dad, he loves and obsess over Muggle stuff," Ginny explained to him.

"Um, Gin, I don't think he needed the whole family description," Harry pointed out to her.

"Right, sorry, but that was only the immediate family," she said in defense of herself.

"Exactly how much pain am I going to be in at the Burrow on Christmas?" Draco asked.

"A lot most likely," Hermione told him.

"Granger, Potter, Draco, Thomas, Longbottom, Finnigan, let's get a move on. We have twenty minutes until double Defense Against the Dark Arts," Blaise said, walking up to the Gryffindor table with Nott, Goyal, and Parkinson.

"We're coming, we're coming. Calm down Zabini," Harry told him before everyone said goodbye to Ginny and Luna and left for class, running into Ron on the way out of the Great Hall.

"Guys, wait," Ron called before picking up three buttered toasts and a banana. As the most popular Slytherin seventh years and most of the seventh year Gryffindors walked out of the Great Hall together, they earned looks from all of the others inside; McGonagall watched them all with pride as they did so, they were accomplishing what the past generations never fully did, house unity.

"Why are we walking with them again, Draco?" Pansy asked.

"Because, we are working on bringing the houses together," Draco reminded her before taking Hermione's hand in his, causing her to blush lightly.

"And what part of that includes the two Heads dating one another?" Ron asked them, looking at their hands.

"The part where Hermione can do whatever she want Ronald," Seamus told him.

"Not you too mate?" he complained.

"I'm pretty sure you're the only one that disproves of this, except for the Slytherins of course," Neville told him before gesturing to Goyle, Nott, Pansy, and Blaise.

"Not so, even some, if not most, of us approve," Blaise told him.

"There you have it Weasley, drop the subject now. You've been going on about this since you found out she's moved in, it's annoying," Draco told him.

"Wait, you mean he does things that aren't annoying?" Nott asked, getting laughs from the Slytherins as well as a couple smiles out of the Gryffindors even.

"I know who to tell George to not allow in the shop now," Ron replied, getting laughs from his fellow Gryffindors, except for Hermione who chuckled along with the Slytherins.

"What do you think we're doing today?" Neville asked as they walked into the empty classroom.

"Who knows, although I have an idea to mess with Charlie," Harry said sitting on a desk near the back. They were all crowded together.

"What's that Potter?" Nott asked as the other four Slytherin girls came in, followed by the four Gryffindor girls.

"Malfoy and Granger sit by each other. I'll sit with Nott and Ron with Goyal. Neville sit with Zabini. Seamus go with Parkinson and Dean with go with Davis ," Harry instructed, pointing to one of the girls and dismissing that batch of people. "Pavarti go with Bulstrode and Lavender go with Greengrass. Eloise and Fay, you two will have to work together since what's her name died in the battle like Crabbe." Everyone quickly went and took a seat after he finished talking, just before Charlie walked in.

He walked and didn't notice anything different as he walked to his desk. He did let his students sit wherever they wished and they were also allowed to call him by his first name. "What the crap happened here?" he finally asked, looking around at each of the faces.

"Hello to you too my brother," Ron said.

"Ron explain," he told him. "While he's doing that pass your essays from last week forward."

"Harry had this plan to do, well this, to go along with Hermione's whole 'let's date Draco bloody Malfoy despite everything he and his family has done in the past. Oh and on top of that we should bring all four house together, yay I know everything,' mode."

"Thank you Ronald, glad mum didn't give you my name for your middle name. I can't wait to tell Bill this one," he said, taking the essays from Hermione in the front.

"What are we doing today?" Lavender asked from towards the back.

"I thought you all would like to see something. Harry do you remember how to enter the Chamber of Secrets?"

"Yes, why?" he asked confused.

"As you are the eldest group here, and probably most skilled with the whole war, I thought you would be the wisest bet to take down there with me to explore."

"Charlie, would I be able to take some of the fangs for research?" Hermione asked as they all exited the classroom and went to the girls lavatory.

"I suppose, as long as McGonagall doesn't find out and I did not give you permission," he said as he held the door open for them all, Harry leading them.

"Ohhh, hello Harry," Myrtle said, floating towards them.

"Hey Myrtle," he said, going towards the sink with the hidden entrance before he started talking in Parseltongue. The entrance opened and everyone followed Harry down to the Chamber. "Welcome home Slytherins," Harry said, breaking the silence when they walked into the main room of the hidden Chamber under the school.

"Thanks Potter, remind us to pay you for exterminating our pet Basilisk," Blaise replied to him, going up and examining the skeleton as Hermione picked random pieces out of it and put it into her bag. She had four of five teeth, a couple backbones, a rib or two, and and a bone from the end of it.

"Alright, who ever you sat by earlier in the classroom with before we came down here is who you will be partnered with. I want all of your wands at the ready and be prepared for anything. If you see or hear something that looks off, call for me. I'll be here where I can hear you," he told them before sending them all down different directions to the many rooms.

"Does it feel weird to be down here?" Draco asked Hermione as they went down a corridor that was constantly changing elevation and curving.

"Yes, and no. The last time I was down here was during the Battle and Ron snogged me," she told him before he put his arms around his waist. "What are you doing?" she asked a little worried.

"Perhaps we could give you a different memory of this place," he offered suggestively.

"We have work to do Draco, class work," she reminded him, trying to not pay attention to how close he was to her as he let go and they continued walking.

"My father is going to kill me," he said, mainly to himself.

"Why's that?"

"Because, Hermione, I apparently have come to actually care for a bloody Mudblood know-it-all," he said, bumping into her with his shoulder.

"I thought I asked you to not call me that," she pouted, flinching at the M word.

"Can't help it, and you should be used to it. My father will be saying it a lot this Christmas when you're around."

"Great, I'm sure the fact that my parents are dentists will just make matters worse yet," she said as they went downhill once more and it got colder.

"That means they clean other Muggles' teeth and get paid for it, right?"

"Yes," she said, slowing her pace as she heard something move ahead. "Your voice is louder, call for Charlie," she instructed after pulling him down on the ground behind a rock, their bodies close together.

"What is it?" he asked; he hadn't been paying attention to what was ahead of them and didn't want to look now.

"Dementor," she said slowly as she watched them move ahead.

"Don't they feed off of human happiness though? How could they survive down here?"

"Draco, they are creatures of darkness. They are born, or made more accurately stated, in corners that are dark and that, sometimes, have water."

"Charlie! Dementor, Dementor!" he called, his voice going back to how he had said it in third year to make fun of Harry Potter. When the Dementors heard his voice, they approached them.

"Expecto Patronum," Hermione casted. But instead of her usual otter that came out for her Patronus, it was a dragon. Was it normal for Patronuses to change as the spell caster grew or was she the first it had happened to? "Malfoy a little help," she said as she saw two more coming up from the side and not getting blocked by her dragon.

"Problem there Hermione, I can't cast a Patronus."

"What? Alright, try to think of your happiest memory than say the incantation."

His happiest memory? He thought quickly before choosing one with him reading with Hermione before they fell asleep next to each other. "Expecto Patronum," he casted, following Hermione's instructions and example. A dragon of his own erupted out of his wand and quickly joined Hermione's dragon in warding off the dementors. "A dragon, Hermione?" he asked with a smirk.

"Shut up," she said just as they heard footsteps coming up fast behind them.

"Great work guys," Charlie said as he came up behind him. They watched as he casted a spell, blocking the four dementors in a small magical cage like shield on all four sides. "You two can go back to the classroom or your dorm. The rest of the class period is yours to do whatever with. Full marks to both of you, your job is done," he said as he lead them back to the main corridor. They went up to the Heads Dorm, noticing that they had only took a fourth of the time that Charlie put into for double Defense Against Dark Arts that day.

"I'm going to take a shower, I'll be out soon then you can take one," she told him. "You reek of death and depression."

"Maybe I like that smell, Princess," he said, coming closer to her.

"Malfoy," she warned.

"I know, I'm not going to do anything. Hurry with your shower though, you smell as if you had just came from battle," he jested back before sitting down on one of the chairs.

"Maybe I like that smell, Dragon King," she told him before going to her room to get clothes then going to the bathroom which she came out of ten minutes later.

"Question Hermione," he said as she came close to the chair. "Has your Patronus always been a dragon?"

"No, it used to be an otter," she said with a blush on her cheeks as she sat on the arm of the chair.

"First it's an animal that chases weasels and now it's a creature that I'm named after, coincidence?" he asked mockingly.

"Shut up and take a shower Malfoy," she told him before he got up. She rolled so she was now sitting in the chair.

"Miss Granger, must you always tell me what to do?" he asked her, kneeling down and putting his hand on her knee.

"And must you, Mister Malfoy, always be touching me?"

"Of course, if I had it my way, then you would be-"

"La, La, La, La, La, I can't hear you," she shouted, stopping him from continuing on with what he was saying.

"You're so childish Hermione," he said before quickly stealing a kiss from her and running off to his room to get clothes then going to the bathroom. She chuckled to herself at what had just occurred. What was happening in the world? They defeat Voldemort and suddenly the Slytherin Prince of Everything is fine with acting like a child around the Gryffindor Golden Princess as well as having feelings for her and she for him. Oh how the tides have turned, she thought to herself before pulling out a book and reading.

"Hermione," he whispered in her ear, causing her to jump.

"What the fuck Draco?"

"Such crude language, love. Now then, what do you want to do with the rest of the time that was supposed to be for Defense Against the Dark Arts?" he asked her, sitting on the arm of the chair, facing her.

"I just want to read," she told her, picking her book back up from where it fell to the floor.

"That's no fun," he told her before kicking her leg with his foot.

"Must I remind you that we each have a different definition of fun, Draco," she told him while trying to move her leg from his reach.

"Oh, I know, Hermione. Perhaps we could find common ground?" he offered with his classic, well-known Malfoy smirk on once again.

"Unlikely," she said, putting her book on the table after realizing that she would never be able to concentrate on reading with him here.

"Can we do something?" he asked, watching her get up and going to the kitchen.

"What Malfoy?" she asked out of habit as she got out butterbeer for her. He followed her out and wrapped his hands around her waist.

"Malfoy? must we repeat things, Granger?" he whispered closely into her ear, drawing out the her last name.

"Draco stop," she told him after he had started kissing her neck and cheek bone.

"Why?" he whined, turning her around to face him.

"Don't do this."

"Do what?" he asked confused as to why she sounded so hurt to him showing her affection.

"That, what you were doing before. Draco, I don't want you to do stuff like that, not yet at least. I've heard about the other girls. The ones you just drop after you get what you want. I don't want to be just another girl that you use," she told him, walking over to a counter and jumping up on it to sit.

"You're not going to be, Hermione," he told her, going over and standing in front of her.

"I want to believe that, I do. But I can't, not yet at least. Can you please wait to do anything?" she begged.

"Alright," he told her, agreeing yet sounding sad a bit, almost hurt really.

"Thank you," she told him, jumping off the counter and hugging him. He wrapped his hands around her and drew her closer before letting her go. "I was worried that was going to end the way it did with Ron," she admitted quietly.

"What happened between you two?"

"He hated that I wouldn't do it with him when we had started dating after the Battle so he called off us dating all together," she said as if it were so simple.

"I promise you that I will never, and I mean ever, act like the weasel does," he told her.

"Come on then, we have some work to do," she told him, taking his hand and leading him towards the living room again. She took out the essay prompt that Charlie had sent up for the essay in Defense Against Dark Arts.

"Hermioneee, do we have to do work?" he whined, sitting down next to her on the couch anyway.

"Draco, it's not that bad. We could always have to hunt down a horcrux," she told him, joking.

"What if I wanted to talk to you though?" he asked, taking away her parchment and quill before putting them both on the coffee table in front of them.

"Alright, fine. So, what memory did you choose for your Patronus?" she asked him, turning her body around to face him.

"Back to work," he said, ignoring the question and taking out a piece of parchment for himself.

"Nope, you wanted to talk so answer the question."

"What do you think it was, Hermione?" he asked her looking up from the pile of parchment.

"I don't know. Was it when your father bought your way into the Slytherin Quidditch team in second year?" she asked him mockingly.

"Really?" he asked her with a smirk. "If I'm going to have to pick a happy memory, I don't think my father would be included into it."

"Why not?" she asked, confused.

"You'll find out during Christmas, maybe I could convince them to let us share my room rather than giving you your own," he said, the final bit was more towards himself than Hermione.

"If you do that, I'm still probably not going to ready to do you-know-what," she pointed out to him.

"I know, but your presence alone has started to become so normal that I may go insane without it."

"What are you going to do when we graduate then?"

"I don't know, I was thinking about marrying you, sneaking into your house everyday, or keeping you as a prisoner at Malfoy Manor," he told her, joking about the last one.

"Well, you've got that planned out haven't you? But who ever said that I would agree to marry you. Your father-"

"My father will have to deal with it," he told her before kissing her quickly.

"Draco, I don't think that's the best way to go about things," she told him looking down to the soft fabric of the cloth on the couch.

"What do you mean?" he asked confused as to why she would worry about what his father thinks.

"If you went against your father, couldn't he banish you from the Malfoy name and then not give you any of the money or anything? Wouldn't he cut all contact with you off?"

"Yeah, but that doesn't matter does it?"

"It's just, if we did get married and if we had kids, I wouldn't want them to grow up without a pair of their grandparents; even if that grandparent is a pure-blooded git, I still would want them to have a chance of at least having an option of getting to know them," she awkwardly told him.

"Wait, would you be willing to marry me, Hermione?"

"I don't know how I would feel then, Draco, besides we are only eighteen after all."

"That may be true, but we've down more at eighteen then most wizards or witches do in a lifetime. You fought countless creatures and hunted horcruxes which lead to the downfall of the most powerful and dark wizard of all time. We've been through war," he told her.

"I still don't know how I would, or will, feel at that time," she told him before picking up her parchment and quill once more.

"Of course, forget I brought it up then," he told her sadly before picking up his own parchment.

"Draco, that doesn't mean that you won't find your answer when it is time to do so," she told him, moving so that her back ways now against his chest and she could feel him breathing.

"Hermione, I can't work like this, it's distracting," he whined.

"Then maybe you shouldn't be taking up the rest of the couch with your bloody legs," she told him, tilting her head so she could look at his face.

"Or maybe you could stop tapping that fucking pen on your parchment when you're stuck," he offered, looking down at her.

"Draco," she said before he kissed her forehead.

"What?"

"Never mind, forget it," she told him before going back to her essay.

"What were you going to say, Hermione?"

"It's not important, okay?"

"Alright, but you're going to tell me eventually," he told her, going back to his own essay as well.

"Oh and when should I do that?" she asked him mockingly.

"Let's see, how about Christams night?"

"No, too busy that night, sorry."

"Fine, the last night of Christmas break before we come back here. You can tell me when we are getting ready to go to sleep in my bed at the Manor. Does that work better for you?" he mocked with a smirk.

"I suppose it'll do," she replied, giving him a smirk of her own.

"Good," he told her, kissing her before writing some things for his essay for Charlie. They both finished in an hour, twenty minutes before they had to leave for their next class.

"What do you want to do?" she asked him, getting up from his chest and putting her stuff away.

"I think a better question to ask me, Hermione, is what do I want to do that you'd be okay with," he told her, standing up and putting his essay on the coffee table then walking up behind her. "Otherwise, it may lead to something that you most likely wouldn't be okay with," he whispered into her ear, starting to kiss down her neck and cheekbone again.

"Draco, I already told you," she started, turning around to look at him.

"Come on, Hermione, you can stop me whenever you wish. I promise I won't do anything that you don't want me to do," he told her, taking her hands in his.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, so what will it be?"

"Fine, but we only have fifteen minutes," she reminded him before he closed the space between them, snogging her. It had only been about thirty seconds when they heard a knock on the door.

"Fuck this bloody school," he whispered as she pulled apart from him and went to go get the door, putting herself together as she walked.

"Hello Harry," she said after opening the door.

"Hey Hermione, Ron wanted me to stop by and make sure you got out safely. He didn't think Malfoy was safe to be around alone," he told her, coming into the room and shutting the door behind him.

"He does realize that I'm practically always alone with him, right?"

"I don't know what he realizes anymore, 'Mione. Do you guys have butterbeer?" he asked, sitting in a chair.

"Yeah, I'll get it for you Potter," Draco told him, going to the kitchen to get it as Hermione went and sat down on the couch. He brought out three butterbeers and passed them out before sitting down beside Hermione on the couch.

"Thanks, Malfoy. By the way, Charlie told me that you guys ran into Dementors down there, I didn't know you could produce a patronus," he told the other boy.

"That's because I couldn't before," he told him, looking over towards Hermione before taking a drink of his butterbeer.

"Harry, is it possible for someone's patronus to change?" Hermione asked him, causing both of the boys to stare at her.

"I expected you to know that, Hermione. Tonks had a patronus that did. Before her and Remus got together, it was a jack rabbit but then it changed into a wolf," he told her, drinking the butterbeer that Malfoy had given him.

"Well, isn't that wonderful," she said sarcastically.

"Why does it matter?" Harry asked her.

"Potter, what was Hermione's patronus?" Draco asked him.

"It's an otter," he answered confused.

"That's where you're wrong. It is now a dragon," he told him with a smirk on his face.

"Hermione?" he asked her, looking at her for confirmation. She nodded her head. Harry could help but laugh, causing both of them to stare at him, confused.

"What's so funny?" Hermione asked him.

"Nothing," he said, shaking his head and slowly ceasing to laugh. "Malfoy, what was your patronus?"

"The same as her's," he told him with a smirk still planted on his face. This just earned another round of laughter from Harry.

"Honestly Harry."

"I'm sorry, Hermione, it's just I don't know if I should believe you or not. If I do then it would mean that you've come to actually truly love the boy who we've been enemies with since first year," he explained, causing her to laugh as well as she finally understood.

"Imagine if you had come to love Voldemort though," she said, causing Draco to join in on their laughter.

"I don't understand the first bit though," Draco told them as their laughing ended.

"When Harry's parents were growing up, James would be insane and sometimes rude to everyone around them - no offense Harry - just to get the attention of Lily. He finally stopped being a git in their seventh year and she finally agreed to go on a date with him," Hermione explained.

"So he's comparing us to his parents?" he asked, finally getting it.

"In a way yes, he found it ironic that it happened the way it did."

"I've got to go, told Gin I would meet up with her for a minute or two before the next class," Harry told them, getting up and throwing away his bottle, and leaving the Heads' dorm.

"We should probably go to class now," she told him, leaning on his shoulder.

"We have five minutes that we can spend here," Draco told her after looking at his watch.

"Nope, let's go," she told him, moving her head and standing up.

"But what about what we were doing before Potter came in?" he pouted.

"We can do that later, Draco. What we can't do later, however is go to class, come on," she told him, taking his arm and trying to pull him up.

"Nope, I think I'll just wait here," he told her, sounding like a little kid.

"If we go to class, I'll show you one of the secret passages out of the school," she offered him.

"Will you use it with me?"

"Depends on when you go, but most likely. That is as long as we don't get caught and we go to class now."

"Alright," he told her, standing up and causing her to fall since she was still pulling on his arm. "Get up, Hermione, we don't have time to lay around if we're going to class. We have to be there early you know," he mocked her before offering her his hand and pulling her up. "Give me a minute," he told her before running and getting his books for the rest of the day.

By the time that they had came back from all of their classes, they hardly had any homework they had to do left.

"Hermione, can we go to that hidden passage now?" Draco asked, looking up from his essay.

"No, I'll show it to you on the last day we stay here, we don't have class that day," she told him.

"Fine," he told her, going back to essay. After an hour, everything they had been given was done and they still had an hour until dinner. "Can we do something fun?"

"What did you have in mind?" she asked him as she finished packing her stuff away. He grabbed her hand when she was done and pulled her after him as he ran out of the dorm room.

"What are you doing, Draco?" she asked, startled by the running.

"We're going down to Slytherin Common Room," he told her, letting go of her wrist. She sprinted to stay caught up to his jog.

"Why?"

"You'll find out when we get down there," he told her, a smirk that almost was a smile planted on his face.

"If this is stupid," she began to threaten as he quickly pulled her into a empty room, it was no bigger than a broom closet. "What was that f r?"

"I saw Mrs. Norris ahead with Filch up ahead of the path," he whispered into her ear, looking out of the crack in the door.

"So you naturally thought to hide as if that would seem less suspicious than running down the halls," she said sarcastically.

"Of course," he told her before crashing his lips to hers.

"Would you stop doing that?" she asked him as they pulled apart.

"Doing what?"

"Always having to be kissing or touching me," she told him quietly, a blush coming onto her face.

"You don't like it?" he asked, confused, not noticing her blush due to the lack of light in the small space.

"It's not that I don't like it," she told him, going even redder, "I just don't find it necessary."

"Why do things only when they are necessary, Hermione? You should do things because they are fun and you want to, not out of duty or whatever."

"Not everyone can act like you, Draco, and have no care in the world. I'm too used to having to do things that I don't want to or don't like that I've become used to putting anything I do like at the bottom of the list. Not that I didn't want to save the world with Harry and help defeat Voldemort it's just not what I would have imagined when I heard I was a witch," she answered, only breathing towards the end of her speech.

"Well you're about to learn how to act like it. Hermione we aren't at war anymore. You are going to learn how to do things that you want to do just for the fun of it," he told her, looking outside the door again, noticing the Filch and his cat had passed and turned down the corridor that was in the opposite direction of where he was going. "Come on," he told her, opening the door and walking out behind her. They went all the way to the dungeons where Draco opened the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room.

"Hey, Draco, did you and the Gryffindor Princess bring a gift to the rest of us," one of the sixth year girls asked him as he passed by, holding Hermione's hand.

"Not this time, Monica," he told her, pulling Hermione behind him. The common room was full of all the Slytherin students, sitting around and drinking; some had butterbeer or pumpkin juice but many had Fire Whiskey.

"What did she mean bring a gift for the rest of them?" Hermione whispered to him. She was walking so close to him that they were almost one person.

"After class we kind of all hang out down here, drink, and play a bunch of games that involve drinking, snogging, both, or other things as well," he whispered back to her, pushing her in front of her and guiding her up to his old dorm room with his hands on her waist.

"But what would?"

"Monica want us to bring?" Draco asked, finishing her question for her. "You see, in the Slytherin house, no one is allowed to take anything from the tables unless they themselves bring something to them. Most people bring Fire Whiskey, but sometimes people bring other things, and a lot of the older students sometimes goes overboard with the drinking or the younger ones who do it for the first time. It is, however, closed off to anyone under fifth year."

"And you thought that it'd be fun to get me down here?" she asked, worried, as they stopped outside of the door that would lead to the room he used to sleep in until he was Head Boy.

"Calm down, Hermione, nobody will make you do anything you don't want to as long as I'm here," he promised her.

"And you know this how?"

"Am I the Slytherin Prince or not? Although, the other version of the name is more used down here," he admitted, almost with pride.

"And what would that be?" she challenged.

"You'll find out in due time," he whispered into her ear before opening the door and walking in with her.

"Draco, what are you doing down here?" Blaise asked before looking at Hermione. "And with Granger no less."

"The Slytherin God and the Gryffindor Golden Princess come to join the common folk," a slightly drunk Nott said before going over to Hermione. "Although, Gryffindor Golden Queen is more accurate nowadays," he corrected himself, putting his hand on Hermione's face which caused her to kick him in the most unlucky of places and double over on the ground.

"Blaise, explain the game to Hermione and we'll see if she'll be willing to play," Draco instructed, picking up two bottles of firewhiskey.

"Alright, though before I do she has to promise not to punch me."

"I won't punch you Blaise, just get on with it," she told him, confused as to what was going to happen and why Draco had thought it wise to come down here.

"Alright, so the person with the lowest level of magical blood goes first, so for this case it'd be you by the old Slytherin standards," he started. "Everyone gets a bottle of Fire Whiskey when we start. The person on the left side of the person who started asks the later a question. If they answer it correctly they're safe and take a drink of the Fire Whiskey. If they are wrong, however, the person who asked the question gets to pick an article of clothing from that person, take it off of them, then put it onto their own body or put it beside them to put on when they are robbed of their clothes," he explained.

"What happened to the Slytherins being the ones who value tradition?" she asked the boys.

"Technically this is a tradition, you see none of us know the exact origin of all of these parties and games but we do know that they've been around at least since Tom Riddle came here," Nott told her, still sitting on the ground.

"Are you serious? You expect me to play this?" she asked, going over to Draco. "Why would I do this?"

"Please, Hermione. I'll sit on your left side and promise to give you simple questions that you know the answers to, mainly," he whispered to her.

"Think of it this way, Granger, you have more of a brain than any of us here. You're probably not going to get any question wrong," Blaise told her, sitting down on the floor by the pile of Fire Whiskey.

"Yeah, then I'm just going to be getting drunk off Fire Whiskey," she pointed out. "We're going to be caught."

"We're overage," Draco defended.

"We're still not supposed to have it on the school grounds because of the younger students."

"How's this, if you do get drunk than we'll use Potter's cloak to get you back to the dorm," Draco offered.

"Fine, you're lucky that I have it in my bag," she told him as he led her over to where Blaise was. He sat down on the right side of Blaise, with Hermione on his own right and Nott beside her. They were just about to start when Blaise pulled Draco up and shoved him to the right side of Hermione so that he was now on her left. Draco handed her one of the bottles of Firewhiskey he had picked up early and Blaise started. Despite Draco and Blaise being friends ever since they were younger, he was worried about what he would do now that he had stolen Draco's spot; he also didn't want to do anything more than punch him repeatedly so that he would pass out.

"Alright, Granger, what's Draco's favourite colour?" he asked, giving her a simple one to start.

"Green," she told him, sounding bored. She was just a tad scared that Draco was not the one asking her questions, Blaise could do anything.

"Correct," he told her before waiting for her to drink the firewhiskey. "More Granger, a sip won't do anything. It has to be a fully drink," he said. She looked over at Draco for confirmation, he nodded his head slowly, almost looking sad, guilty, or sorry.

"Alright, ask away, Hermione," Draco told her, moving closer to her while still sitting down.

"Let's see, what was the patronus of your cousin Tonks?" she asked, knowing he knew the answer.

"It was a jack rabbit then a wolf," he repeated what Harry had told him early. "Next time give me a harder one," he told her before taking a drink and turning to Nott. Before Nott was going to ask Blaise, Pansy came up and joined, sitting in between Nott and Blaise. It soon came to Hermione's turn to be asked a question.

"Alright, Granger, what is a Slytherin's least favourite thing?"

"A Gryffindor," she replied, wondering where he was going with this.

"False, it's a Gryffindor Princess coming down here and acting like she runs the place just because she's dating the head snake," he told her, moving closer to her. "Turn around," he instructed.

"Blaise, you have to reveal what you're taking off of her," Draco reminded him while clenching his fist.

"Her shirt," he nearly growled. "Now come closer, Granger," he whispered in her ear. She could smell the firewhiskey on his breath and knew that he was most likely drunk. Probably as drunk as Nott.

"Hermione," Draco told her, causing her to turn her head to look at him. He looked like he was going to murder someone while she had tears threatening to make their presences. It was something so simple, but to her it wasn't. "Do it," he told her, taking her hand in his. She reluctantly moved over a bit and turned her head so she was now facing Draco and didn't look anywhere but straight at him, staring into his eyes as he did the same.

Beside her Blaise gave a small chuckle. He had always been fantasized by the idea of having the Gryffindor Princess under his command ever since she had punched Draco, his obsession with her only increased on the night of the Yule Ball and when she helped save their lives during the Battle

He slowly moved the cloth from around her waist and up over her head, his fingers touching her skin lightly just a bit

"I think it's time we be getting back," Draco said, standing up with clinched fists. He put his hand out to help Hermione out and she took it.

"Not so fast, you know the rule for leaving the game when there is none without clothes," Nott said with a sickening look.

"Pansy, be a dear and take care of Draco while we do the same with Hermione here," Blaise said, standing up and roughly taking Hermione's shoulder.

"Blaise, you can't do this," Draco protested as Hermione stood there confused, realization coming onto her fast. Pansy stood up and walked over to Draco, pushing him onto a bed despite him being stronger than her.

"You shouldn't have brought her down here at a time like this," Nott said, going over to Hermione as Blaise backed her into a wall and stood behind her.

Blaise picked her up around the waist, despite her protests and her trying to kick him, and threw her onto the bed across the room from where Pansy and Draco were. She thought fast as the two boys stalked over to where she now lay, her physical actions could not help her. It was now that she realized just how helpful wandless and nonverbal magic was. She casted a stunning charm on both Blaise and Nott, causing them to fall to the floor, before got up and climbed over their stunned bodies.

"Pansy you don't have to do this," Draco told her while watching Hermione think her way out of her trap.

"I have to do this until Granger gets away from the two boys," she told him, shocking him. "I may not like that mudblood but I see the way you care for her, Draco. I'm not going to stand in your way," she said as Hermione walked up behind them.

"Parkinson," Hermione said, putting her hand on the other girl's shoulder.

"Granger, perfect, leave before they get up," she whispered to the pair that stood in front of her so that the two boys on the floor couldn't hear. Draco stood up and ran out of the room with Hermione behind him. He paused halfway down the stairs.

"I'm so sorry, Hermione, I didn't think they would take it that far," he told her, pulling her into a hug.

"Draco, can we just leave? I don't like it down here," she told him as he let go of her and she took the cloak out of her bag.

"Of course, we'll go over to the kitchens quickly, have one of the house elves bring food up to our room, then go up there ourselves," he told her as she threw the cloak over the two of them and they made their way out of the Slytherin dungeons. They took the cloak off just outside the portrait to the kitchens. "Crap, he still has your shirt. Stay under the cloak and out here, I'll go in," he told her, kissing the top of her head before tickling the pear and entering the kitchen. She put the cloak back on, pulled out a spare shirt from her bag, and put it on before she sat down.

"Krecher," Draco called after making his way through the crowd of house elves that offered trays of food to him.

"Master Draco, what can I do for you?"

"Hermione and I need food in our room to eat dinner tonight. I'm afraid she's not up to going to the Great Hall. Would you mind bringing some of everything up?" he asked him while picking up a green apple.

"Of course, sir. Shall I keep this from Master Harry or inform him?"

"You can tell Potter, but make sure the boy weasel isn't around. If the girl Weasley Potter is dating is around you can also tell her, but don't search for her; I'm sure Potter can tell her. Thank you Kreacher," he told the house elf before leaving the kitchens and going back outside, feeling someone poking his side as soon as he stepped out.

"Hermione," he said, chuckling. He got under the cloak and they continued on to the Heads' Dorm.

"Who'd you get to do it?" she asked him as they took off the cloak when they reached the corridor the dorm was on.

"Kreacher," he told her. "And I may or may not have told him to inform Potter that you were not up to eating in the Great Hall," he admitted awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck as they walked in.

"Why would you do that? Now Harry's going to be completely worried and everything," she yelled as the door closed and they went over to the kitchen.

"It's not my fault. I thought he would want to know, especially since you two are like siblings," he told her, sitting down and starting to eat.

"Perfect, just what I need. He's going to think that you did something and come storming up here, probably with Ron and Ginny no doubt," she said, sitting down and starting to eat.

"I told Kreacher not to tell Harry if the weasel was around, unless it was Potter's girlfriend," Draco told her quietly. They ate the rest of dinner in silence, trying not to think back onto the events that had just occurred. They took all of the plates into the sink and started washing them just when they heard a pounding on the wall outside of the room.

"Get it, Draco," Hermione told him, washing one of the goblets.

"He's your friend, Hermione," he replied while drying on of the plates.

"I hate you," she told him, while walking over to the door and opening it.

"What happened? Are you okay? What did Malfoy do?" he asked, entering the room and giving her a hug, almost crushing her.

"Harry, I'm fine, alright," she told him going back over to the kitchen to do the final plate, but finding that Malfoy had already finished everything by using magic.

"What happened, Hermione?" he asked her, going over to the fridge and pulling out a butterbeer for himself. "Malfoy?"

"Give me a firewhiskey and I'll tell you," Draco told him.

"You don't need a firewhiskey," Hermione told Draco, causing Harry to pause with the door to the fridge open and his hand inside.

"Hermione, I need something to get rid of the memories of what almost happened," he complained, jumping off the counter he was sitting on and walking over to her.

"If you drink firewhiskey, it's just going to pull those memories forward for me. Please, Draco," she begged him.

"Fine, give me a butterbeer," Draco told Harry.

"Hermione, what do you want?" Harry asked after throwing Draco a butterbeer.

"Water," she told him. After Harry handed her one and shut their fridge, she went into the living room and sat on the couch, Draco sat beside her and Harry sat in a chair.

"What happened?" Harry asked once again.

"I can't," she said, still not able to fully register what had happened.

"Hermione, you can tell me, you know you can."

"I can't, Harry, that's the problem," she told him, her voice slightly shaky and raising. Draco put his arm around her and drew him closer to his side.

"Hermione, I'm sorry," he whispered into her ear so Harry couldn't hear while drawing small circle on her arm with his thumb. "I'm so sorry."

"You couldn't have known, Draco," she whispered back.

"I should have though, I knew how intense the parties get as well as how drunk the pair of them get."

"Hermione?" Harry asked from his chair.

"Do you want me to explain to him?" Draco asked her, looking at Harry; she slowly nodded her head.

"Malfoy?"

"Potter, Hermione went with me to one of the Slytherin parties earlier tonight in the dungeons," he started out.

"Did you force her to go or did you let her deiced?"

"I let her decide if she wanted to go or not to the Slytherin Common Room with me, but I didn't tell her what was going on down there at the time," he said, regret apparent in his voice.

"And what do these parties include?"

"Would you stop interrupting and let me finish, honestly," he said, getting annoyed at the interruptions from Harry. "The parties include a lot of… intimacy included games and drinks, mainly firewhiskey," he explained. "I took Hermione up to the dorm I used to share with Blaise, Nott, Crabbe, and Goyle. Both Blaise and Nott were there and they wanted to play Right Drink, Wrong Strip. Hermione agreed under the circumstance that I would be the one on her left since I would then be asking her the questions and taking her garments off; I promised I wouldn't take off the bottom two bits."

"And she was fine with that?" Harry asked, shocked.

"Yes, it was fine until right before we started. Blaise kicked me out of my seat and sat on Hermione's left. When he took her shirt off as the first clothing, taking all the time in the world, I stood up for us to leave. That's when it happened. Blaise and Theodore attack her, they would've raped her if she wouldn't have thought as fast as she did. She used both wandless and nonverbal magic on them, stunning them, while I was being trapped by Pansy. Apparently Pansy knew that Hermione could get herself out of the situation because as soon as Hermione spoke behind her, she let us go," he finished explaining.

"You did this," Harry said, standing up and practically shouting as he drew his wand out.

"Harry sit down, it's not his fault. They were drunk before we got there," Hermione told him, barely audible.

"Hermione, he took you down there without you knowing what was happening," Harry protested. "Think about what could have happened."

"But it didn't Harry, and even if would have happened, it would have been their fault, not Draco's," she said, standing up. "This is why I did not want you finding out, you and Ronald always blow everything out of proportion," she told him before taking a drink of her butterbeer.

"Out of proportion? Hermione do you realize what you're saying?"

"I have to agree with Potter on this one, 'Mione. It could have ended horribly if you didn't think as quick as you did and if you weren't as skilled with magic as you are," Draco told her, shocking both her and Harry.

"It could have been worse though, I could have been killed or expelled," she defended, causing Harry to chuckle.

"What's so funny?" Draco and Hermione both asked.

"First year, Hermione. You have not changed, have you? Despite us being though war and everything," Harry told them, causing Hermione to join in a bit.

"Explain this," Draco demanded.

"In first year, when we were running from Flich with Neville and Ron, we ran into a three-headed dog. When we got to the Gryffindor Tower, I told them that I was going to bed before one of them came up with another clever idea to get us killed, or worse expelled," Hermione told him, causing him to laugh as well.

"Alright, fine," Harry finally said, putting his wand away and sitting down. "I assume you don't want Ron to know?"

"Please don't tell him, he'll kill Draco without thinking twice about it," Hermione pointed out to him.

"You know, I used to be the one who didn't trust him," Harry said, standing up and going to throw away his empty butterbeer bottle along with Draco's own bottle.

"Yes, but you were correct. You thought he was a bloody Death Eater and at the end of it Dumbledore died," Hermione pointed out.

"Hermione, do you have any floo powder?" Draco asked, standing up and walking towards the fireplace.

"Why?" she asked tentatively.

"I want to try to get a hold of my mother and see if she knows of anyway to get revenge on anybody without getting caught," he said almost dangerously.

"Draco, no, just drop it. Please, don't do something stupid," she told him.

"But Hermione," he whined, going over and kneeling on the ground in front of where she was sitting on the couch.

"Malfoy, listen to her," Harry told him while searching the cupboard for something.

"Potter, what are you even doing in there?" Draco called to him.

"Where are your lemon drops?" he asked them.

"In the cupboard that is above the sink," Hermione told him, turning her head to face him.

"Thanks, 'Mione," he called out, taking the glass jar out of the cupboard, sitting on the counter and eating them.

"Why don't you go back to the Gryffindor Common Room?"

"They're talking about the Battle again," he said with food in his mouth.

"Hermione, let me do this," Draco begged quietly putting his hand on her knees.

"Draco, you are not going to hurt anyone inside or outside of this castle. Too many people have been hurt in the past couple year," she told him.

"Half of those people deserved it, just like Nott and Zabini," he told her, sitting on the couch beside her.

"Their actions were nothing compared to the Death Eaters' during the war," she said calmly, putting her head on his shoulder.

"You are going to be the death of me," he told her before kissing the top of her head.

"I'm heading off now," they heard Harry say from the kitchen as he put the jar of sweets away and jumped off the kitchen counter. Hermione stood up and walked over to him with Draco watching. "Thanks for the snack and butterbeer," he told her while hugging her.

"Oh you mean the stuff you took without asking," she commented with a chuckle after they had let go of each other.

"Do you want me to tell Ginny what happened?" he asked her.

"Yeah, if you don't then have her come up here and I'll tell her," she told him.

"Bye Hermione, bye Malfoy," he said as he opened the door.

"Bye Potter," Draco replied right before Harry left and Hermione walked back over to the couch.

"What do you want to do now?"

"Sleep," he told her, pulling her down on to the couch so that her head was on his chest with his arms around her.

"Draco," she said, turning over so she could look at him.

"What?" he asked her, confused as to if something was wrong or not.

"Promise me you won't do anything to them to get revenge for what almost happened today."

"Fine, just go to sleep," he told her, his eyes already closing.

"Not until you say it," she said stubbornly.

"I promise that I won't do anything to Blazie or Theo to get revenge for what they did to you today."

"Alright," she said, leaning up and kissing him before repositioning herself on his chest and falling asleep.

"Why must you do this to me?" he asked to himself once he thought she was asleep. "My father is going to disown me no matter what once he finds out that I have no plans on breaking this off."

"Then you father is stupid," she told him, shocking him that she was still up. She sat up on the couch and he did the same next to her.

"'Mione I thought you were asleep."

"That would explain why you said what you did before you mentioned your father," she said with a smirk.

"If he does disown me, would you still want this to continue?"

"Yes, and no. I don't care about the things you get from them. However, I don't want to be the reason you get kicked out of your family," she told him, standing up and going over to the kitchen, grabbing a chocolate frog, and going back over to the couch.

"I think you're forgetting something," he told her, stealing the frog from her and breaking it in half before taking the smaller half and giving her the bigger one.

"What's that?"

"What you said earlier, about if we did get married. That you would want our children to grow up with both pairs of grandparents for a better experience," he told her after they each finished their half of the frog.

"Draco, why would you even allow yourself to be disowned for me of all people? Before I moved in here, you hated my guts since we had met in first year on the train," she told him.

"That's not entirely true," he admitted quietly.

"Oh," she said, surprised.

"I may or may not had a slight crush on you the first couple of years, I thought I ruined any chance of you ever forgiving me when I called you Mudblood in second year; yet when you punched me third year it simply heightened the crush. You were the only person willing to stand up to be and bold enough to dare touch me without permission. In fourth year, I was jealous of Krum, especially at the dance," he said, pausing for a bit. "In fifth year the crush continued and I was worried when I heard you went to the Ministry because I knew my father and aunt would be there under Voldemort's orders. In sixth year, I was worried about what you would think if you had found out about what I had become.

"Last year was a mess. We always heard about your positions and what you were doing and then you showed up at the Manor. I wanted to stab Bellatrix and get you all out of there, despite me knowing that it wouldn't change how you thought or felt about me. In the battle, I was worried I would lose you, if not by death then to the weasel. Then you guys won and my father developed his plan that I was only too glad to set into action because of a childhood crush on you," he told her, chuckling towards the end.

"Draco Malfoy, trying to hide his feelings for a Mudblood by picking on her," she mocked with a smirk.

"Oh, shut up Granger," he said jokingly. "Did you just call yourself Mudblood?"

"And why shouldn't I. Mudblood and proud," she told him with a grin. "Come on, let's go to bed."

"What, why can't we sleep out here?"

"The couch is uncomfortable, come on," she said, standing out and offering her hand to help him up. He got up and followed her to her bedroom. "Can you roll over so I can change?" she asked him as he sat on the bed.

"If you're changing then, I'm going to go and do the same," he told her standing up and going over to his room. She quickly took off her robes and the rest of her clothes and changed into an old t-shirt and basketball shorts while he did the same in his room.

"Since when do you own Muggle clothing like that?" she asked him when he came back into the room and laid down beside her.

"Since my father got locked up in Azkaban for a short time after the Battle, before he released names of Death Eaters," he told her rolling over so that she was facing him.

"You didn't?" she asked him, messing with the corner of the pillowcase.

"No, Potter helped there actually. He didn't tell you?" he asked her, surprised.

"No, what happened?"

"After you guys saved me and Goyal from the Room of Requirement, I thought about what I had caused by fixing the cabinet in sixth year. After Voldemort had died, Father and Mother had me run with them back to the Manner. From there I owled Potter, apologizing for everything and asking for help, telling him that I would do anything if I could get off the hook from the Ministry," he explained to her. "He owled back and said that he could tell the Ministry that I was forced to do it by my father and threatened by Voldemort for not only my life, but my mother's as well. After the hearing, Potter came up to me and told me if I messed up again, I was on my own," he finished, taking her hand off of the pillow case.

"That explains why he was more accepting towards you when you sat with us and when he found out that I lived here now," she told him, looking into his eyes.

"Now can we go back to sleep?" he asked, moving a piece of hair behind her ear that had fallen in front of her face.

"Fine," she agreed, kissing him on the check before rolling over. He draped his arm over her waist and drew her a bit closer to him.

In the middle of the night she started to twist and turn in her sleep, waking Draco up from his lovely dream while she was having a horrid nightmare.

"Hermione wake up," he told her, lightly shaking her shoulder. "Hermione."

"What, what is it?" she asked, finally coming around.

"You woke me up, hun," he told her as she rolled over to face him.

"Sorry, it must have been the nightmares of war again," she said, looking at the wall behind him, her eyes catching on a picture of her will all of the Weasleys, Remus, Tonks, Sirius, Dumbledore, and the rest of the Order from her fifth year.

"Nothing can hurt you now," he reminded her.

"I know that, I can't help it, Draco. Don't you ever have them?"

"Yeah, why do you think I avoided falling asleep in sixth year?"

"You avoided sleep?"

"I was worried about the plan and what effect it may have. I never imagined that it would be one of the key factors to the start of the war," he told her, causing her to look at him rather than the picture behind him.

"What did you do, to escape them?"

"You don't want to know," he told her with a smirk, causing her to hit his chest. "Just go back to sleep, Hermione. Perhaps they'll leave on their own, if not then try to force them out with happier thoughts or something," he told her, kissing her forehead before both attempted to go back to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Once the weekend came, both Zabini and Nott had apologized for what had happened a billion times, despite the fact that it had only happened on Wednesday, after being informed of what they did from Pansy. Both Hermione and Draco had finished all of the homework and essays that they had been given from the Professors while the rest of the seventh years each had about at least eight hours of writing to do since none thought it wise to start early on their homework.

"Hermione, get up," Draco whispered into her ear on Saturday morning.

"Go back to bed, Draco, it's only seven in the morning," she said tiredly, rolling to face him.

"No, get up. You have to get ready so that we can go meet up with Harry, Ginny, and Ron," he told her. "I already took a shower, now I'm just waiting for you."

"You sound like a baby," she said with a smirk while getting up.

"Least you're getting up though," he pointed up as she went around her room and gathering clothes for the day. "You should wear that dress," he told her, noticing a simple green dress with a red belt.

"That's one of my Christmas dresses, Draco," she told him, taking a t-shirt out of her closest.

"No one would notice."

"Ginny would, she's the one who bought it for me," she told him before leaving the room and going to take a shower.

"What's a Starship?" Draco asked her once she walked out of the bathroom at seven twenty. He was referring to her t-shirt that read I don't want a relationship, I want a Starship and included a picture of the U.S.S Starship Enterprise.

"It's from Star Trek, I'll show you that when I show you Star Wars," she told him, going over and sitting beside him. "When do you want to leave then, Mister Impatient?"

"Let's leave now," he said, jumping up.

"I just sat down," she complained. "Why are you so excited to hang out with Gin and Harry anyway?"

"I don't know, perhaps it's the fact that I can rub something in weasel's face."

"Oh, and what's that?"

"That I actually get to date you because I know how to act and wait whereas he is insane about anything and lost you just because you wouldn't fuck him," he told her. "Come on, Hermione, I'll let you jump on my back," he offered.

"I can walk myself, thanks," she told him, reluctantly standing up and going with Draco to the Gryffindor Tower. "You're completely mental, you know that right?"

"Why's that?" he asked her as they walked through the halls.

"You go from calling me Mudblood and other names every time you see me to being excited to rub in the fact that we're practically dating to Ron," she pointed out to him.

"Wait, we are officially dating then?" he asked her, excitedly as they approached the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room.

"I suppose so. I mean, we have kissed countless times now and everything," she told him before saying the password to the Fat Lady.

"Then your shirt doesn't make any since," he told her while they walked in and sat down on the couch in the empty Common Room.

"It makes plenty of sense to everyone else, Draco."

"But how? You have a relationship already yet you don't have a Starship in sight."

"That isn't the point though, it's more like saying that I would rather have a space ship than a relationship; that I care more about fictional characters, books, movies, and everything else that goes with that," she explained to him.

"I still don't get it," he told her.

"You will, least I hope so," she told him, putting her head on her shoulder.

"Should we go wake them up?" he asked, referring to Harry, Ron, and Ginny.

"No, they had Quidditch practice yesterday. Let them sleep in for a little while longer, it is only seven forty-five on a Saturday mind you."

"Alright, we could do something fun while we wait though," he told her. She moved her head off of his shoulder.

"Draco, we can't do anything that you've got in mind, there are other students that pass through here, most of them being way younger than us," she told him.

"Oh, come on now Hermione, I wasn't going to suggest anything that heated," he whispered to her, leaning closer.

"You realize that it could get that bad though," she told him, drawing back.

"Fine, what else did you have in mind then?"

"I thought that we could just sit here, thinking and enjoying each other's presence in silence," she said with a faint smirk on her face that was just barely noticeable.

"You realize who you are talking to, right?"

"Of course," she told him, laying her head back onto his shoulder.

"'Mione," he whined. "This is boring."

"Ugh, you're such a pain Draco," she told him jokingly. "Alright, fine, what time is it?"

"Two minutes after eight," he told her, taking her hand in his and rubbing his finger of her knuckles.

"Come on then, we'll go wake them up to make you happy," she told him, standing up. "Since you are Head Boy, I suppose that the restriction of boys being in the girls' dorms is lifted," she said thoughtfully.

"So do you want us to start by waking Weasley up before moving onto Potter?"

"I suppose you don't want to have to wake Harry and Ron on your own then?" she asked as he followed her up to Ginny's dorm room.

"I'd prefer that, yeah," he told her as Hermione walked into the room.

"What's he doing here?" one of the girls Ginny shared the room with asked.

"Oh calm down, it's not like I actually care to see any Gryffindors in their knickers, unless of course it was," Draco started saying, putting his hands around Hermione's waist and pulling her into him before she elbowed him in the stomach to shut him up.

"Is Gin still asleep?" Hermione asked the girl as she was the only one awake in the room. She put her hands over top of Draco's which simply cause him to smirk a bit.

"Yeah," she answered before going back to her book, but not without looking at the couple before her with interest. Draco resentfully let go of Hermione and she went over to Ginny's bed and moved the curtains back.

"Ginny, wake up," Hermione told her while shaking the younger girl that lay before her. "Draco's impatient, get up so I don't have to deal with him alone."

"Wow, way to hurt a guy Hermione," he whispered to her as he came to stand beside her.

"'Mione, it's too early," the Ginny replied while rolling over, still half asleep.

"Get up or I'll spray you with water," Hermione threatened, taking out a small squirt bottle that she used for her hair but forgot to take out of the bag after the war. "Three, two," she started counting down.

"I'm up, I'm up. There is no need for violence Hermione. I think you're spending too much time with Malfoy," the younger girl told her, slowly sitting up.

"Aw, come on Weasley, I'm not that bad," Draco said mockingly.

"Keep telling yourself that," she told him before he and Hermione headed towards the door in order to leave to go wake Harry up. "Wait, 'Mione, you might want to wake Lavender Brown up. I think that's who Ron invited to go with," Ginny called out, stopping the older girl in her tracks which caused Draco to nearly knock her over.

"He invited her?" she asked shocked, staring at the door.

"Yeah, why?" Ginny asked, standing up and getting clothes for the day.

"Hermione?" Draco asked her quietly, sounding worried for her. She walked out of the room, not even answering Ginny. Draco remained in the room for just a short enough time for him and and Ginny to share a confused and worried look before he followed her out. She was sitting on the steps now. "What's wrong?"

"I thought he hated her," she said, trying to hold the tears back.

"Does it matter though, who he dates?"

"No, at least it shouldn't matter. But the fact that he dates one of the few girls that I used to not be able to stand, especially when they were dating during sixth year or whatever. It's just, she was so annoying when they were dating. I know that my opinion on her then could have been influenced by me liking Ron at the time, but what if I still find her annoying? What if I still, deep down, have feelings for him?" she asked him as Draco came over and sat next to her, putting his arm around her shoulders.

"Hermione, why should it matter? We're dating now, aren't we?"

"But that shouldn't mean that I can't be worried about who he dates, as a friend. I mean, Harry and him both worried about me when they found out about me moving in with you. They still worry in fact," she told him, putting her head on his shoulder, nearly burying her face into his neck.

"Come on," he told her. "You don't want to keep Ginny waiting do you?" he asked her, shocking her that he used the first name of one of her friends.

"Did you call her Ginny?" she asked her, moving her head from shoulder.

"Maybe, let's get going though," he told her, standing up and offering her his hand to get help up. She took his hand before leading him to her old dorm room.

"Lavender wake up," she hissed shaking the girl before dumping the bottle of water onto her without a warning.

"Merlin's beard Hermione, what was that for?" she asked, shooting up in her bed.

"Get up, I'm waking Harry and Ron next. Draco was impatient to get moving and Ginny informed me that she thought Ron asked you to join us," she explained before leaving, not even waiting for a response.

"That went well," Draco told her with a smirk as they went over to Harry's and the rest of the boys' dorm room.

"Shut up, Malfoy," she told him jokingly, pushing him to the side.

"Wow, Granger, way to show your love and affection."

"You know how I promised you that I was going to tell you that one thing on Christmas night, yeah I think I'm just going to change what I was going to say," she jested.

"That's no fair," he complained as they walked into the boys' room.

"I find it plenty fair. Go wake Harry up, I'll get Ron," she told him, pointing to Harry's bed before going over to Ron's bed.

"Ronald, wake up. Lavender and Ginny are getting ready and Draco and I are waiting for the four of you," she told him while shaking him. He quickly woke up, frightened at being shaken.

"Oi, bloody hell 'Mione," he said before she walked over to where Draco was. He hadn't even attempted to wake Harry yet.

"You wanna help me here?" Draco asked her after moving the curtains to the side.

"No, you got this. I've got faith in you," she told him.

"That's one of us then," he said before stepping forward. "Potter, wake up," he said, kicking the mattress Harry was sleeping on. He continued kicking the bed, accidentally kicking Harry himself once.

"Malfoy, I'm up, you can stop kicking the bed," Harry told him, slowly sitting up.

"We'll be downstairs, hurry up. Ginny and Lavender are already getting ready," Hermione said, taking Draco's hand and starting to lead him out of the room.

"So Gin told you then?" Ron asked her as she was opening the door.

"Yes, she did since you've neglected to inform me on anything in the past couple days, let alone talk to either me or Draco. Harry, Ginny, and all of the others have tried to be friendly to him, and the Slytherins to us; I don't understand how you can't Ronald," she said before storming out and pulling Draco behind her.

"You okay 'Mione?" Draco asked as she dropped his hand and went over to the couch.

"I'm sorry, everything's just been bugging me lately. I suppose that what happened down in the dungeons didn't help any," she told him as he came over and sat by her.

"You don't have to apologize Hermione," he told her, putting his arm around her.

"Draco," she started saying when Ginny and Lavender came down the stairs.

"Are we still waiting on the boys?" Lavender asked them, sitting down in one of the chairs as Ginny sat on the other side of Hermione.

"Yes, they should be down anytime now," Hermione answered her, sitting straighter and being a bit uncomfortable with Lavender here.

"We are stopping to get breakfast first, right?" Ginny asked.

"I'd say so, though Draco might protest," Hermione told her causing Draco to pinch her arm. She pinched his side in response.

"I think stopping for breakfast would be wise, Weasley," he told her, glaring at Hermione with a smirk.

"Lovely, 'Mione do you have anything I can dump on the boys so they hurry along?" Lavender asked.

"No, as they are already up I find that completely useless," she told the other girl.

"Hermione, do you want to leave now and then meet up with them in the Great Hall?" Draco whispered into her ear.

"We can wait, Draco," she told him right before Harry and Ron came down the stairs.

"Let's go people, I'm starving," Ron said, walking straight towards the door as the others in the room stood up and followed him.

"You're always starving, Won-Won," Lavender said while running up to him and jumping on his back.

"If I ever act like that, please kill me," Hermione told Draco quietly.

"No, I think I'll just encourage you to act like it more," he whispered back to her.

"This is why I hate you," she said with a smile.

"I know you love me honey," he told her with a smirk while putting his hand around her waist.

"You keep telling yourself that."

"Where do you guys want to stop first?" Harry asked as they all sat down, him next to Ron and Ginny next to Hermione across them.

"We need to got to the Quality Quidditch Supplies Hogsmeade branch. I need to pick up the newest broom so we can sweep the floor with you Gryffindors this season," Draco told them, his smirk still planted on his face.

"You wish, Malfoy. We're going to win once again, Harry's still seeker and the captain; since he isn't trying to stop Voldemort he has more time for us to practice, as much as Wood did when he was here," Ginny told him before taking a drink of pumpkin juice.

"Be that as it may, the Zoomstar X is way faster than the Firebolt will ever be, Weasley."

"Way to be a Slytherin there Malfoy," Harry commented.

"I'll take that as a complement, Potter."

"You do that."

"Do you honestly think your chasers have a chance of scoring with me as keeper?" Ron asked.

"According to the true version of Weasley is Our King, the version that I created, yes I think we do."

"Is that so?" Lavender asked, reaching for her wand under her robes.

"Lav-Lave, put the wand away," Ron said, noticing what she was doing.

"By the way Lavender, how's being a you-know-what? Is there anything I could do to help make it any better on you?" Hermione asked. During the Battle, many had thought Lavender had died but instead she was in complete and utter shock of what had happened to her. Fenrir Greyback had bitten her arm and left her there, making her a werewolf himself.

"Hermione, don't you dare bring that subject up, especially around the likes of him," Ron threatened her.

"Ronald Bilius Weasley, I'm sick of you insulting him. This is why I never tell you anything important, you never try giving people a second chance and you're always take things way out of proportion," Hermione nearly yelled to him, drawing attention from Ravenclaws, Slytherins, and most of the Hufflepuffs as well as the Professors.

"You know what, Hermione, I'm glad you didn't agree to fuck this summer. You're an annoying know-it-all and don't take care of how you look. I hope you're happy with Malfoy, it's most likely he's only dating you so he can get in your pants," Ron said, standing up before leaving. If anyone wasn't paying attention to them, they were now. Lavender quickly got up and followed him up as Hermione buried her face in her hands and started crying.

"Come on, 'Mione, let's get out of here," Ginny told her as Draco pulled her into his chest before getting up and taking her out of the Great Hall with Harry and Ginny. He led her into an abandoned classroom and the other to Gryffindors followed them in as he sat down on a desk, Hermione beside him.

"How could he say that?" she asked, crying and burying her head into his chest as he ran his hand through her hair and held her close to him with his other hand on her back, drawing circles on it with his thumb. "I was just curious and wanted to help in someway."

"He's stupid, 'Mione, forget about it," Draco told her, trying to comfort her while not paying attention to Harry and Ginny in the corner of the room on desks who were watching them closely.

"He really does love her, doesn't he?" Ginny pointed out.

"I told you what happened to her yesterday, didn't I?" Harry asked, not able to remember.

"Yes, you did. I don't understand how Ronald can't see it, how much he cares for her and vice verses I mean," she said.

"Because, he gets mad, yells, and makes it worse. He doesn't even stay to help try to comfort her or watch Draco do it, cleaning up his mess," Harry told her. "Do you think it'll end well, their relationship?"

"I don't know, Harry. I hope so, for her sake at least," she told him, putting her head on his shoulder and watching the two across the room.

"Hermione," Draco said softly, still rubbing her back.

"I'm sorry that I'm ruining your shirt Draco," she said, trying to move from his chest.

"You're joking right? You're in tears because of that fucking weasle and you're apologizing for crying on my shirt?" he asked, trapping her against his chest more. She hit his chest before laughing a bit.

"You can let me go you know," she told her, her voice being muffled by his body.

"Maybe I don't want to," he told her, kissing the top of her head. She wrapped her arms around him.

"I love you," she said, too quiet for even him to hear.

"What was that?" he asked looking down at her.

"I asked if you were ready to go to Hogsmeade with Harry and Ginny," she covered.

"Yeah, come on then," he said, jumping off the desk as she did the same next to him.

"Oh, you two ready to leave now?" Harry asked jokingly.

"Stop acting like your father, Harry," Hermione said while laughing lightly before the four of them left the old classroom. They walked down the path to Hogsmeade, making jokes all the way.

"I'm going to inform Mum on what Ronald said," Ginny informed the group out of nowhere as they neared the village.

"Make sure she sends him a Howler again," Draco told her.

"I'm sure that can be arranged," Ginny said with a slight smirk on her face.

"You don't have to do that Gin," Hermione told her as they went into the Quidditch shop for Draco to buy the new broom he wanted.

"I know, but Ron deserves it, after everything he's said and put you though," she told her while the two of them hugged.

"Draco, how are you going to pay for that?" Hermione asked, going over and standing beside him as he picked between the three Zoomstar Xs that were there for selling.

"My father may have lost his job in the Ministry while he was in Azkaban, but we didn't lose any of our fortune. I'll just have them bill it to my mum and tell her not to tell dad," he told her, finally picking one up and going over to the corner to pay for it.

"Harry, how far does our strings in the Ministry extend?" she asked him thoughtfully after he and Ginny came over to stand beside her to wait.

"Depends on what we need, why?"

"I'll let you know later, just curious for now."

"Hermione, do you even own a broom?" Draco asked her as they left the store.

"No, I don't need one, and besides I, um, kind of don't have a desire to fly," she said, trying to avoid telling all the details.

"Are you afraid of flying?" he asked, trying to suppress a laugh. She didn't reply. "How didn't I know about this?"

"You never asked, besides we haven't even really talked before last week. Unless of course you include the fighting and all of the times we were paired up in class for work," she said, looking at the road before them.

"So you've never flewn except for flying lessons in first year?"

"Yeah, well there was that time last year in the battle and while we were getting Harry out of Private Drive."

"You two have failed at being her friends," he told Ginny and Harry.

"It's not like we never tried, Malfoy. She just wouldn't do it, even if she was on the broom with one of us," Harry said.

"You're going to fly, Hermione. I can promise you that."

"I am not getting on that thing," she said, referring to the Zoomstar he was carrying.

"Fine, I'll let you have my old Nimbus 2001, or would you prefer me go out and buy you a broom; we could stop by the store on the way home."

"You don't have to buy me anything, Draco."

"That doesn't mean that I can't," Draco told her before they walked into Honeydukes.

"Oh, Hermione you have to go to the Christmas Ball," Ginny told her as they were picking up various treats.

"Draco and I have to help plan it with the prefects and any volunteers. I don't think I have a choice on rather or not I can go."

"Speaking of which," Draco started. "You are going with me aren't you?" he asked, whispering in her ear to be heard clearly over everyone talking in the shop.

"I would have to even if we weren't dating, Draco. Professor McGonagall would require it," she told him as they went to pay for the couple of treats each had picked out.

"Well good thing we're dating, not that you wouldn't have enjoyed it either way," he whispered to her as they waited out of the way for Ginny and Harry.

"Draco, stop it," she said, trying to shove him away while suppressing a smile. "We're in public if you haven't noticed."

"That just makes it better," he told her, placing his hands around her waist.

"Remind me to hex you tonight while you're sleeping."

"Fine, maybe I'll just sleep in my own room."

"You sleep in your own room, away from me? That'll be a first," she said as Harry and Ginny walked up to them.

"You two ready?" Ginny asked, giving Hermione a confused look while Harry looked almost startled as to what he had just walked onto.

"Yeah," Draco said, slowly taking his hands off of Hermione. "Where are we going next?"

"Weasley's Wizards Wheezes, George just opened a branch here and wants us to check it out," she told them as they left the building and went across the street.

"Before we go in there, how many of the Weasleys did you tell about...well anything?"

"Mum told everyone that way they could start getting your gifts for Christmas," she informed him, holding the door open for the other three. "George is here on the weekends when he has Charlie watch over the store in Diagon Alley."

"Sister!" they heard George say, jumping from the second level to where they were and pulling Ginny into a hug. "The floor is a trampoline," he explained before going over and hugging Hermione next. "Where's the ferret? I have something to show him."

"If it's a ferret, I'm going to throw you into the Black Lake," Draco threatened as they followed him to the third floor.

"I present to you The Amazing Bouncing Ferret!" he said, putting something on the floor. "It turns into a dragon when you kick it."

"I hate you all," he told them before picking up a wand looking thing. "What's this?"

"That explodes ten seconds after you give it to another person," he explained before Draco placed the plastic wand down.

"Remind me not to accept anything from him at Christmas," he whispered to Hermione as George left them to look around. Ginny had left with Harry, thinking it was best to leave them alone for sometime.

"No, I think the best way for the Weasleys to accept you is for you to be pranked by George multiple times in order to earn laughs from the others; besides they need it," she told him, looking at an expandable ear.

"What's that?" he asked her while taking it from her.

"It's something we can use to spy on your parents," she told him, taking it back ."Let's just hope that Crookshanks doesn't destroy this one like the one he ate at the Order of the Phoenix when we were trying to spy on them in a meeting."

"The Gryffindor goes Slytherin mode," he said mockingly.

"Come on, you don't want to keep Harry or Gin waiting, do you?"

"I don't know, I think they could wait a bit longer," he said, kissing her.

"Draco," she warned.

"Fine, I do want to suggest something to George before we leave though," he said as they walked down the stairs to the first floor.

"Should I be worried?" she asked as she paid for the ear.

"Nope, Prank King Weasley I have a suggestion for you. Instead of just having the wand explode, have it change the colour of the person holding it's hair and everything and then have it make their clothes shrink a size or two and have it be glued to their bodies for a couple hours or something," Draco said, not paying attention to the the four people staring at him, shocked.

"I think I could actually make that work, thanks Malfoy," he said, handing Hermione a small bag with what she bought.

"If you do make it work, use Ronald for testing," Hermione told him.

"Why? What he do this time, or it just to get a laugh out of it?" George asked the group, smiling as always.

"He said a bunch of stuff to 'Mione and has been an utter git to everyone, especially her, ever since she and Malfoy have started dating," Harry explained.

"I'll tell Mum to send him an Howler. Gin you should send exact details."

"I was already planning on doing both, my dear brother," she said before hugging George and they all left.

"That's one way to get back at Ron," Harry said as they walked to the Three Broomsticks. "Ron's in there, 'Mione."

"It's fine, Harry, we can still eat there," she told him.

"You sure?" Ginny asked.

"I said it was fine guys, now come on," she replied, going in and picking a table in the corner. Draco sat beside her as Gin sat across with Harry next to her.

"Hermione, they're glaring at us," Draco pointed out.

"Let them, besides if anyone should be glaring then it should be us glaring at them," she said as they ordered their food and butterbeer. "Please tell me that she is not coming over at Christmas to the Burrow?"

"Sorry, 'Mione," Ginny replied. "Mum just owled last night and said that she wanted to meet Lavender."

"Perfect," Hermione said sarcastically just as Madam Rosmerta came over with their drinks.

"We could always use that to our advantage and prank both of them with George," Draco suggested as he put his arm around Hermione's shoulders.

"Malfoy, I think you're going to be more accepted than Lav at this rate," Ginny said, laughing a bit.

"Especially if Ron only asked Lavender out to try and get Hermione jealous or something, which we believe he has," Harry added.

"However likely that may be, Harry, I think he's the one who is jealous at the moment, look," she pointed out, nodding her head over to where Ron and Lavender were sitting. Ron was still glaring at them, but with pain in his face as well, looking hurt.

"Perhaps he'll come around," Ginny said, taking another drink of her butterbeer at the same time as Hermione.

"Doubt it, Weasel's ridiculous."

"Be that as it may, Malfoy, we must all have hope that he will be able to accept and let go of the past."

"Where are we going to next after here?" Hermione asked the rest of them, trying to change topics.

"I thought we could go dress shopping," Ginny volunteered.

"I don't want to," the older girl whined.

"You have to get a dress 'Mione," Draco told her, putting down his now empty bottle.

"We can get them later, closer to the dance."

"Fine, but just for that it has to have sparkles on it."

"Ugh, remind me again why we're friends, Gin?"

"Because someone has to team up with you in order to stop Harry from getting another dragon tattoo," the younger girl joked, causing both Harry and Hermione to laugh.

"Wait, does he really-"

"No, Malfoy. Someone asked Ginny if I had a Hippogriff on my chest so she said it was a Horntail, mind you this was in sixth year."

"The effect it had on Ronald though was the best bit of it," Hermione commented.

"What did you tell them he had?"

"A pink Pygmy Puff," she told him, causing all four of them, herself included, to laugh. "Oh, we need to go to Zonko's Joke Shop."

"Why, we were just at Weasley Wizard Wheezes?" Harry asked as they paid for the butterbeer and left.

"George wants me to see if they have any customers and if so how many." They walked back to Zonko's and entered the building.

"Ginny, where is everyone?" one of the clerks asked when they walked in; Ginny tended to come here a lot in the past, more so than the others since she followed in her brothers' footsteps pranking wise.

"I have no clue, Greg," she lied, picking up a fanged frisbee in a box and buying it.

"Let me know if you find anything out," he called out as the group left to go back to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

"What time is it?" Draco asked as they walked toward the building.

"Quarter till one," Harry told him after checking his watch. "Why?"

"I want to apparate back to the Manor while my father is out," he said mindlessly as they walked in.

"Wait where is he at?" Hermione asked as Ginny left the three of them to find George.

"Working in a Muggle bookstore in a disguise," Draco said with a smirk.

"That must be killing him," Harry commented.

"You have no idea. But, I want you guys to go with me to the Manor," he said, shocking Harry more so than Hermione before he put his broom into Hermione's bag along with everything else he had bought that day.

"Which makes sense why you want to go when you father is out," Hermione said as Ginny came back over to them.

"What makes sense about what?"

"Malfoy wants us to go to his castle with him," Harry said.

"Fun, we get to meet blood judging people, the best way to spend the rest of the day," Ginny replied.

"You can certainly tell you two are a couple," Draco commented as they went further down the road where they were close to the edge of the village.

"We could get in trouble if we apparate though, can't we?"

"We don't have class today, and all of us are over age. So no, we can't. You are overage, right Ginny?" Draco asked her, causing her and Harry to stop walking for a split second.

"Yeah," she said, a faint smile appearing on her face.

"Are we expected to call you by your first name now, ferret?" Harry asked him.

"No, Scarhead, no your not. Neither are you Flame-Girl."

"Brilliant, are we going or not?" Hermione asked.

"Who's the impatient one now?" Draco asked mockingly. "Are you two okay going?"

"Yeah, I suppose, that is if we hurry up," Ginny told him.

"Cool, let's give Ron a reason to think that you killed us all," Harry said sarcastically.

"Apparate into the Drawing Room, that's where you guys were when Bella," he said pausing. "Where Bellatrix did what she did. Weasley do side-along with Potter since you don't know what I'm talking about."

"Draco, I can't really remember that place all that well. I could hardly think with how much pain your aunt put me through," Hermione whispered to him so that the others could not hear.

"Then side-along with me," he whispered back to her. "On my count," he said, taking Hermione's hand as Harry took Ginny's. "Three, two, one." As soon as he stopped counting there was a small pop and they had disappeared from the village and the next they knew, they were in the drawing room of Malfoy Manor.

"Master Draco," a house elf greeted as soon as they appeared and had checked none got splinched. "Shall I inform Mistress Narcissa that you are here?"

"No, Legolas, that won't be necessary. Although, where is mother?"

"She is in the library and said not to be interrupted until Master Lucius came home unless it was absolutely necessary," the house elf replied while looking at the three guests. "Is this Famous Potter, his pet weasel, and Mudblood Granger? The ones you always used to rant about sir?"

"Aww, did someone want to be our friend?" Harry asked mockingly.

"Shut it Potter," Draco said, no real threat in his voice at all. "And no, Legolas, it is Potter and Hermione, put that Weasley is a different one, one of the ones I can tolerate."

"How kind of you, Malfoy," Ginny said, following her boyfriend's lead.

"If you two don't shut up, I will lock you under the stairs."

"Harry will feel at home then," Hermione commented, causing both Ginny and Draco to laugh a bit before stopping when they all three got glares from the boy in question. "I see you repaired the chandler," Hermione commented.

"Magic exists for a reason. Legolas inform Dinky that we might be staying for dinner, we haven't decided yet."

"Yes master," the house elf said, bowing, before disapparating. The four of them exited the room and walked out towards the entrance hall and went upstairs twice before being stopped in front of a pair of big doors.

"You're going to love this one, 'Mione," Draco told her before he opened the doors.

"Is this as big as the Hogwarts library?" Ginny asked as they walked in.

"If not bigger," Draco told them with a smirk.

"Merlin's beard, I think you just stocked Hermione up with enough reading material to last her a year, if that since we don't have to try to defeat an evil dark lord this year," Harry commented, looking at Hermione's excited face. Draco lead them towards the very back of the library where they found his mother, curled up on a couch reading a book.

"Why is it that this doesn't surprise me?" Draco said, startling his mother who dropped the book she was reading.

"Draco, what are you doing here?" Narcissa asked, picking up the book and putting it on a coffee table before going over and hugging her son.

"A better question is why did that scene just remind me of Hermione?" Harry asked Ginny quietly so only the two Gryffindors could hear it.

"I thought I might as well bring Hermione, Potter, and Weasley here while father was away. It was a Hogsmeade weekend after all," Draco told his mother as they broke the hug. "Mother, can I talk to you in private? It's about the thing Father instructed me to do when I left for Hogwarts."

"What about it?" she asked, worry erupting as to how her husband would react if his plan failed. The three Gryffindors stood behind them, all confused except for the Head Girl who was wondering what about it he would share.

"Not in front of them. Hermione come with us," he said before both he and his mother went away from them and out of earshot.

"What's this about?" Ginny asked Hermione, who simply shrugged in reply before running to catch up to the two Malfoys. Ginny and Harry sat down on the small couch and started to list and debate on what it could be, even saying the most ridiculous of things such as Draco Malfoy being a werewolf or Hermione being somehow related to the Malfoys way back down the line.

"Wait you told her?" Narcissa asked her son as Hermione joined them.

"No, I overheard it one morning when I was coming out of the shower," Hermione told the older witch.

"Mother, the problem isn't the fact that she found out. The problem is how Father is going to react with it when he finds that I don't want to follow the plan any longer," Draco admitted, hoping his mother would understand at least.

"But you two are dating aren't you? I mean, she's coming over for Christmas for Salazar's sake." Hermione chuckled to herself about the fact that the Slytherins changed their wording before Draco continued talking.

"Yes, but I don't want to do it just as a tool to get popularity back nor do I want to have to break it off because of what he says," Draco said, taking Hermione's hand into his own.

"I see," she said, a small smile slowly erupting onto her face as she looked at the pair of intertwined hands. "I thought something like this might happen, despite me not telling your father in the case that he would decide to call it off," she told them, looking back up and into her son's eyes, her smile a bit bigger.

"That's it? No arguing?" Draco asked, a bit hesitant.

"That's it," his mother said. "Although what is the reaction of all the houses? And the Professors?"

"The other houses are starting to be more accepting of Slytherin and forgive them, and Slytherin doing likewise. Although Slytherin was expected to once their leader started sitting with the Gryffindors," Hermione said, hitting Draco in the side with her elbow. "Everyone is quite accepting of it, except Ronald," she finished, sounding disappointed.

"Weasley? But isn't he one of your best friends?" the older witch asked confused.

"Yes, but he is under the belief that Draco is just doing it to, in his words "get in my pants," Hermione answered, blushing faintly.

"That and he still can't accept that Hermione won't bang him and won't give up his feelings for her as more than a friend," Draco said, pulling Hermione closer to his side.

"Interesting," she said, the smile still planted on her face. "I think it best we get back to your friends, they look like they're worried."

"I want to tell them what we were talking about so that they don't worry, but I don't want them to freak out," Hermione whispered to Draco as they walked back.

"They'll let it slide, won't they?"

"Harry already told you if you fuck up your one shot he won't give you another," Hermione reminded him.

"So what, if they're stupid enough to think that I would still be following my father's plan then maybe I shouldn't be taking Potter's help."

"Are you all staying for dinner?" Narcissa asked when they reached Ginny and Harry who had been staring at them since they left.

"I suppose we could," Ginny said, standing up with Harry.

"Good, I must warn you though, Lucius will be back by then," she told them all before sitting down once more. "Draco show them around won't you?" she asked before reading again.

"Shall we continue?"

"What was that about?" Harry asked once the group was out in the hall.

"You have to tell them 'Mione," Draco told her, stopping and turning around to face the three Gryffindors.

"I can tell them later Draco, when they won't think you're still just doing the thing."

"Hermione, what's the matter?" Ginny asked her, putting her hand on the other girl's shoulder.

"Nothing's the matter, Gin, everything is fine, just forget about it. Well except for the fact we'll have to deal with Lucius tonight."

"Hermione, we aren't going to just forget about this," Harry protested.

"I promise you I will tell you guys when I feel it is necessary," she told them. "Are you telling your father tonight or are you going to wait until Christmas or even past that?"

"I'll tell him after, perhaps he will understand as Mother did, I doubt it though. You guys can explore wherever, I want to check on something," Draco told the three of them before turning around and heading off. "Meet me back here at six forty-five," he called back to them before turning a corner.

"Let's go back down to the drawing room, I think I saw something there that looked intriguing," Ginny told them.

"You two go on without me, I want to stay here and read a bit," she said before the couple left. She turned around and ran after Draco.

"What the fuck, Hermione?" Draco asked her as she ran into him.

"Sorry," she said as she gained her balance back.

"Why aren't you with Potter and Weasley?" he asked her, still walking down the hall before going down a flight of stairs.

"They were going back to the drawing room and, well, you know," she said, following him.

"Is the Gryffindor afraid?" he asked her with a smirk, hating his comment soon after.

"Where are we going?" she asked him, avoiding the question.

"My room, there's something there that my mum gave to me when I was younger. I want to make sure I know the location and that it's still in good shape," he commented before opening a door up and walking in. Inside there were posters of his favorite Quidditch teams, the Kenmare Kestrels, and a few of the the Holyhead Harpies. In addition there were Slytherin colours everywhere along with a snake image on the bed sheets.

"How very Slytherin this room is," Hermione commented going over and sitting down on the edge of his bed. "You do realize that Ginny is supposed to go and play for the Harpies right after we leave Hogwarts, right?"

"Wait, what?" Draco asked, searching his green desk for a small box.

"Yeah, they asked her about it after they saw her playing a little this summer with Victor Krum at the Quidditch World Cup in Germany."

"Interesting," he said, finding the box and opening it. Inside was the ring with a snake around the band holding a diamond that his mother had given him last year, the very one that had been passed down from generations of Malfoys.

"What are you doing?" Hermione asked, standing up and going over to where he was.

"Nothing," he quickly lied, hiding the now closed ring box in his pocket.

"Sure you not," she said sarcastically while looking at him with mistrust.

"Don't worry about it Hermione," he told her, kissing top of her head.

"Draco, tell me what it is."

"You know how you said you were going to tell me that one thing on Christmas?"

"Yeah," she said uncertainly as to where he was going with this.

"I'll tell you what this is when you tell me that thing," he said before going over to his bookshelf.

"What are you doing now?" she asked, going over and sitting down on the bed again.

"Looking for something, I kept my favourite Muggle books up here so if my father did go through the ones in the library, which is unlikely, he wouldn't get rid of these."

"Why wouldn't he go through the ones in the library?" she asked, rolling over towards the bookshelf and taking off a copy of Frankenstein.

"He doesn't read as much as my mum," he said, taking the book back from Hermione and then putting it into her bag. "I'm assuming you don't have that one?"

"Yeah, I wanted it forever, and I was supposed to get it for my birthday last year from my parents but with the war and everything," she told him as he sat down beside her.

"Speaking of, when is your birthday?" he asked her, taking her hand in his own.

"Today, actually," she told him. "I've completely forgot about that, I wonder why Harry and Ginny didn't say anything. When's yours?"

"June fifth," he told her standing up. "Do you mind either staying here or going to the library for a little while? I want to go talk to Potter and Weasley," he told her, going to the door.

"You don't want me to talk to my own friends?" she asked him, sounding astonished.

"It's not that, trust me. I just want to ask them some things, privately," he explained before leaving the room and apperating down to the drawing room. Hermione stood up from the couch and made her way to the library where she started to look for something new to read. Draco searched all over the house and finally found Harry and Ginny in the back living room, talking on a couch. "Tell me you two have something planned at least?" he demanded, going over and standing in front of them.

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked him.

"Today is Hermione's birthday and nobody finds it necessary to tell me. Start talking Scarhead."

"Calm down Malfoy, we didn't want to tell you in the case that you would tell her, but we have a party planned for tonight in the Chamber of Secrets, all the houses are invited. It starts at ten and we have Neville and Luna standing by the entrance to let people in," Ginny told him. "I thought you at least knew it was your girlfriend's birthday."

"Seeing as we weren't exactly on friendly terms before the war, Weasley, I did not."

"Where is Hermione now?" Harry asked.

"Either in my room or in the library with my mum."

"You took her to your room?" Ginny asked, standing up.

"Calm down, we didn't do anything," Draco told her, pushing the ginger down to sit again.

"A better question is why did you leave her alone with your mum?" Harry asked.

"My mother won't do anything, unlike my father. Now I need you two to help me go instruct the house elves on what to make so that the food is all of Hermione's favourites," he told them, leading them off to the kitchens.

As Hermione looked at a book she hadn't read before, she didn't notice the woman walk up behind her.

"Care to join me, Hermione?" Narcissa asked her, gesturing her arm out to the couch in the back of the library.

"Thank you, Mrs. Malfoy, but I don't mean to intrude."

"It's perfectly alright. I don't usually get any visitors when I'm in here, except for Draco that is."

"Your husband doesn't enjoy reading?" she asked, following the older witch to the couch and sitting beside her.

"Not particularly, no. I sometimes wonder if that's one of the reasons why our beliefs are different," Narcissa responded, looking at the cover of the book she was holding in her lap. "He doesn't see the different outcomes a situation could have if a few variables were changed, unlike us," she said, nudging Hermione with her elbow and wearing a smirk quite similar to her son's.

Hermione remained silent before asking, "I don't mean to be rude, but how do you think your husband will respond when he finds out that Draco isn't following his orders?"

"I'll try to talk some sense into him, but I doubt that will work. However, I do believe he won't be too drastic, Draco is the only one alive to inherit the Malfoy fortune after all; but at the same time Draco may be disowned for some time, till our last week perhaps," she explained, earning a slight frown from Hermione. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just don't want to be the reason that he has to be unhappy I suppose," Hermione said, not looking at the older witch.

"I suppose you didn't notice Draco's old journals in his room?"

"He wrote in journals?"

"Yes, for quite sometime, I believe it was until Christmas of fifth year when Lucius brought up him becoming a Death Eater or up until, well never mind that."

"I suppose he didn't want any way for them to find out anything he didn't want them to know then?"

"Of course, most of the writings did involve Gryffindors and such. He had a completely separate journal to write down everything you did around him, his feelings, and your relationship," Narcissa said laughing.

"That sounds completely mental," Hermione said, joining in on the witch's laughter. "I might have to use them on him this Christmas, I'll certainly be reading them while he sleeps."

"As long as Lucius doesn't find out."

"How did you find out?"

"Draco has always felt more… open with me than with his father. I didn't try to push any beliefs on him so he thought he could trust me," she explained.

"Is that why you lied to the Voldemort about Harry being dead? Because you two had a stronger bond and love than Draco and his father?"

"Yes, and for another reason, but how did you know about that?"

"Harry told me and Ron what happened afterwards, we always tell each other everything," she said, standing up and walking over to the window. "I suppose that's why I don't feel the same for Ron, because we're like siblings."

"I knew someone like that," Narcissa said, standing up and following Hermione.

"You did?" the young girl asked, confused.

"Harry's mother. Severus would owl me weekly once I was out of Hogwarts, saying how she never felt the same as he did for her."

"How'd he know you?"

"I was came across him in my seventh year, crying over something and asked him about it."

"It's funny though," Hermione said, going over and putting the book down before coming back over to where she was standing before.

"What's that?" Narcissa asked, placing her arm around the younger witch's shoulder.

Hermione didn't answer for a while but just looked at Narcissa's hand, a faint smile coming to her lips. "Severus Snape called Lily a Mudblood and she hated him for it. The exact same event occurs between me and Draco and I come to actually have feelings for him, maybe even love him," she said as they watched the rain outside.

"It is strange how events like that happen, isn't it," Narcissa commented.

"Master Draco is looking for you Miss Granger. He is waiting in the drawing room. Master Lucius is here as well in the Entrance Hall," the girls heard Legolas say behind them.

"Thank you Legolas, tell them we're on our way," Narcissa replied to the house elf replied before they headed out of the library.

"Did you name him after the elf in the Lord of the Rings?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, Lucius was opposed to it, but I lied and told him that Tolkien was a wizard," Narcissa replied as the descended down the stairs.

"Brilliant," Hermione commented before Lucius came into their view.

"What is she doing here?" Lucius asked, noticing Hermione coming down the stairs.

"Draco decided to come over for supper," Narcissa said, changing the sound of her voice.

"Where is he?"

"In the drawing room, she's is to go meet up with him now. She was in the library with me," Narcissa told him as they walked down the final step. Hermione left the couple to go to the Drawing Room.

Hermione slowly stepped into the room, noticing the poster on the door. Inside you'll find the start of a hunt. Prepare for a great search. Great, she thought, a scavenger hunt. Why did I tell Draco it was my birthday?

She walked into the room where Ginny handed her a piece of paper. _We celebrate your birth, however little of us there are. We are hardly visited here, in the house of purebloods. You did try to free our kind, however wrong your methods were_.

"Ginny, is this necessary?" she asked, before looking up from the note. Ginny had already disapparated away, and was currently in the fourth and final location. "To the kitchens we go," she said after thinking for a little while. She wandered back out to the entrance hall, were Narcissa and Lucius were still talking. "Sorry, but where might I find the kitchen?"

"Why do you need the kitchen?" Lucius asked her, looking disgusted.

"Well, Draco, Harry, and Gin are being ridiculous. They decided to do a scavenger hunt thing for my birthday and-"

"Potter and the She-Weasel are here?"

"Yes, Lucius, they were at Hogsmeade today with Draco and Hermione. Draco thought it would be okay if they joined us for supper as well," Narcissa told her husband.

"I see," he commented. "Go down that hall and turn right, then go down the stairs. It's next door in the layout to the dungeous."

"Thank you, sir," she said through her teeth before going and finding a ribbon on the door handle. "Harry, what's the point of this?" she asked him.

"Come on 'Mione, it's your birthday," he told her with a ridiculous grin on his face. "This is from Ginny, see you at the final location," he told her before handing her a present with a card on it and a piece of paper. _You've spent more time in a place like this than in Gryffindor Tower. You've got more knowledge to open here, if only you know where to look. However it is not that hard to just pick a holder of the knowledge off the shelves._ She left the kitchen, putting the unopened present into her bag and ran back upstairs to the library.

"This is from Harry," Draco told her, handing her another present. "I'm to walk you back down to the Dining room."

"What was the point of this?" she asked him, putting Harry's gift into her bag with the one from Ginny.

"To give the elves more time to set up stuff," he told her as they left the library. "Tell me you didn't tell my father that Potter and Weasley are here."

"I had to, Draco, he was asking why I needed to know where the kitchens are located."

"You know you could have just called on Legolas, right?"

"I thought elves only listen to their masters?"

"Considering we are dating, for real and not for image unlike what my father thinks, I'm pretty sure he would listen to you as well," he told her, taking her hand in his.

"Won't you get in trouble from your father, if he sees us holding hands or anything?" she asked him as they walked down the stairs.

"Yes, but he wants to try get us back into the light of the public eye in a good way then he'll have to accept it. I could always tell him that I have to play the part around you as well to try to make you believe that I'm not just using you like we planned."

"When do you plan on telling him the truth?"

"Probably the last day of Christmas break or after we graduate. When do you plan on telling your friends what the original plan was?"

"Probably Christmas, I was thinking on informing Harry and Ginny first before any of the other Weasleys."

"What do you think they'll do?" he asked her as they walked off the staircase.

"Not believe me about the thing, try to kill you. Everything will go wrong that can," Hermione told him.

"Well that's comforting."

"No, I think Ginny and Harry will believe me, Ronald won't, but I'm not sure about everyone else."

"Let's just hope for the best then," Draco told her before they walked into the Dining Room. Draco, Ginny and Harry had helped set up a smaller banner and balloons.

"Happy Birthday 'Mione," Harry and Ginny said at the same time before Ginny gave her a present. "This is from Draco."

"Thanks guys," Hermione said, smiling and putting the present into her bag with the other two.

"Oh come on, open it," Draco told her as Harry and Ginny sat down. Hermione and Draco sat across from them, the girls on the right side.

"Open them," Ginny said, kicking her under the table.

"Fine," Hermione said, taking the three presents out from her bag. Ginny had gotten her six tickets to the San Diego Comic Con International, Harry gave her a new edition of Hogwarts: A History since they had updated it with the Battle of Hogwarts, and Draco had given her a necklace with a golden snitch which had diamonds on the wings.

"I was planing on Ron and the four of us using the tickets, but they are yours of course," Ginny told her.

"You two aren't getting out of this one. This year I heard they're supposed to have a bunch of people from Marvel and D.C. comic books," Hermione told her, pointing the tickets into her wallet then back in her bag.

"The necklace is in addition to the my old broom," Draco told her as his parents came into the room.

"What about you're old broom?" Lucius asked, sitting at the head of the table closest to the boys while Narcissa did the same on the other side.

"Hermione has never flew, so I'm giving her my old Nimbus 2001 since I just picked up a Zoomstar X," Draco told his father as food started to appear.

"I have flown, in Madam Hooch's class," Hermione protested as she put food onto her plate, earning her stares from the two adults.

"That was in first year, 'Mione," Harry pitched in as he and Ginny did the same thing Hermione was doing.

"It still counts."

"Not really," Ginny said. Draco started putting food onto his plate as well as his parents just watched them before Narcissa also got food.

"You flying in first year counts as much as that Hippogriff's execution was successful in third year," Draco told her.

"Oh come on, Buckbeak didn't die for good reason," Harry said.

"Yeah so he could be trapped in a small apartment with Sirius," Hermione said sarcastically.

"My cousin kept a hippogriff at Grimmauld Place?" Narcissa asked, sounding surprised.

"Yes, Kreacher hated having to clean up after him," Ginny said.

"He never changed," Narcissa said, chuckling before taking a bit of her food. After the others had their food on their plate. Lucius put some on his plate and started eating. "What is this?" Narcissa asked, poking food on a tray.

"You don't know what pizza is?" Hermione and Harry asked at the same time, practically petrified.

"It's one of the best Muggle food ever," Ginny pitched in.

"What is the meaning of this?" Lucius asked, standing up and sounding livid.

"Father please," Draco said, putting his fork down. "I, we, thought we would surprise Hermione since it is her birthday after all."

"By bringing Muggle food into this house?"

"Please dear, it is time you move past this," Narcissa said, flinching when Lucius slammed his fist onto the table.

"You are insane, this is not how I wanted it to go," he protested.

"I think it's time we leave," Ginny said, standing up at the same time as Harry.

"I agree with you," Draco said, standing up and taking Hermione's hand in his to help her up. "Mother, I'll owl you later." The four of them apperated back to Hogsmeade before anyone could stop them.

"I'm sorry Draco," Hermione said as soon as they landed.

"'Mione it's not your fault, it was our idea to change the food that they were making," Ginny told her.

"She's right, you can't blame yourself," Draco told her.

"Come on, let's go back up to the castle," Harry said before he and Ginny started walking.

"Draco, can you tell me something?" Hermione asked as they walked to the castle behind Harry and Ginny. "I noticed that Narcissa flinched when you father slammed the table. I was wondering if she, if he," she tried to say.

"If he abuses her?" Draco offered.

"Yeah," Hermione said, looking down at her feet.

"Yes, and no. While Voldemort was in power he did in order to keep her quiet in the Dark Lord's presence and because she never really agreed with him becoming a Death Eater. I first noticed it when I was little, about six, I also noticed it in the wives of the other Purebloods my father is friends with," he said, taking Hermione's hand in his.

"My hatred for Death Eaters just increased," she told him, looking up at the castle.

"How did you know about that though?" Draco asked her as they walked up the stairs to Hogwarts.

"Have you forgotten exactly how many books I've read?"

"Do you even know the exact number?"

"Shut up," she told him, kicking a stone out of her way.

"Oh, Harry and Ginny wanted to know if we wanted to go up to Gryffindor Tower tonight?"

"You can, I don't want to have to deal with Ronald," she told him, as they entered the castle and headed towards the Heads' dorm.

"We could always use him as target practice for spell," Draco offered as they started climbing more stairs.

"I would but I don't want to hurt my relationship with the rest of the Weasleys," she told him as they approached their room.

"Stay out here, I want to do something tonight before we go to Gryffindor Tower," Draco said before running into the Heads' dorm and coming out in a minute with his Nimbus 2001.

"I am not getting on that thing, nor am I going," Hermione protested.

"Come on, you're the only at Hogwarts who hates flying," Draco whined.

"Draco, it has nothing to do with flying," Hermione said.

"Fine then prove it," he told her as she threw the Zoomstar X at him that she took out of her bag.

"Give me the bloody broomstick," she said, putting her hand out. He handed it to her and they walked out to the quidditch pitch. "How far do you want me to fly?" she asked as she mounted the broom.

"Oh, let's go and fly over the Black Lake then maybe the Forbidden Forest," Draco told her, mounting his broom.

"Fine," she said before they left the ground.

"See, it's not that bad is it?" Draco asked her, hitting her broom with his.

"Don't hit the broom, it's not quidditch," she told him.

"Why haven't you flown before?"

"Because, I never felt like I needed to. Harry, Ron, and Ginny always played Quidditch with the older Weasleys and I helped Molly when I wasn't reading."

"Since when do you read?" he asked, causing her to bump her broom into his. "Don't knock into my boom, Granger," he mocked her.

"Remind me again why we're dating?" she joked.

"Depends who you're asking," he told her before tuning.

"Where are you going?" Hermione yelled at him before speeding after him.

"I thought we could go hang out by the forest for a bit," he told her before heading down towards the ground once they were over land.

"Actually, would you mind if we went and visited Hagrid for a little while? McGonagall was able to convince the Ministry to allow him to have his magic back as long as he goes back though the classes and I want to see how he's doing," she told him after she landed next to him.

"Alright, it is your birthday after all," he said before following her to Hagrid's hut.

"You don't have to come in, Draco, if you don't want to."

"It's fine, 'Mione, really," he said before Hermione knocked on the door.

"Well hello Hermione, I didn' 'spect yeh to be vistin'," Hagrid said as he opened the door. "Where's Harry an' Ron at?"

"They're still up at the castle, I thought I'd come down and visit you and see how your studies were going," she said before Hagrid stepped to the side to let her in.

"Wha's he doin' here?" he asked as Draco followed her in and sat down beside her on the couch. Draco was looking around the small hut and inspecting everything that Hagrid had hanging from the ceiling.

"Hermione and I are dating now," Draco said without thinking while looking at the open text book on the table.

"Really 'Mione? 'im, the one who was makin' yeh cry in firs' year?" Hagrid said, shocked while handing them both a rock cake.

"Yes, everyone deserves a second chance, you know that Hagrid," she said, quickly stuffing the rock cake into her bag when he turned his back; Draco threw his into the bag as well right before he turned around.

"Suppose yeh righ'," he told her before sitting down on the chair.

"How have you been doing on your assignments?" Hermione asked him as Draco stole her bag from her and put his Zoomstar into it.

"I've been doin' fine, gettin' above Trolls if tha's wha' yeh wonderin'," he told her before noticing the broomstick in her hand. "Where'd yeh get that?"

"Draco gave it to me," she told him as Draco handed her the beaded bag back and she put the Nimbus into it.

"I just picked up a new one today and thought 'Mione could have that one since she didn't own one," Draco told the half-giant.

"There's good reason for that," Hagrid told him. "Consderin' what happened the last time."

"What happened the last time?" Draco asked, looking back and forth from Hermione to Hagrid.

"Last time I was on a broom was during the war, when we were saving you and your friends from that bloody fire while we were trying to destroy a horcrux," Hermione told him, looking down at the bag now on her wrist. "Oh and the time we were transferring Harry from his aunt's house to the Burrow."

"What happened?" he asked, a frown coming to his face.

"Mad-eye Moody had been killed, on the broom that he was riding with Mundungus Fletcher," Hermione told him.

"Ohh, if only Barty Crouch Jr. was still acting as him," Draco said causing her to chuckle.

"Yeah, maybe then the real Mad-Eye would still be alive and turn you into a ferret," Hermione told him, causing him to pinch her on her knee.

"Hagrid what's that smell?" Draco asked, looking away from the witch on his right.

"That's just the smell of you getting a burn," Hermione told him, not noticing Hagrid standing up and running over to the corner behind them.

"Try again, Gryffindor Princess," Draco said standing up and following Hagrid before Hermione did the same.

"Shouldn'ta left it on as high," Hagrid said before turning the heater off under his calderon.

"You were making potions? In here?" Hermione asked. "That's like brewing potions in your dorm room."

"He's a professor, he can't get in trouble," Draco told her.

"Until the Headmistress finds out," Hermione commented.

"But you're not going to tell her," Draco said.

"Of course not, but what if she had been out here and not us?" she retorted.

"'Mione has a point, I gotta stop tryin' ter do this," Hagrid said, finalizing the potion.

"It's almost ten, we've got to go," Draco said.

"Why, we don't have patrol until after curfew?" Hermione protested.

"Yes, but Ginny said she wanted to show us something before hand."

"Go on, 'Mione, make sure you, Harry, and Ron come down to visit tomorrow," Hagrid told her.

"Okay Hagrid," she said before she followed Draco out of the hut and up towards the castle. "What's so important that she wanted to show us tonight?"

"Nothing, Fang was just getting slobber on my shoes," Draco told her as they entered the Entrance Hall.

"Poor, Drama-Queen Draco," Hermione mocked before turning to go up the stairs.

"No, let's go take a walk," Draco said before pulling her off the stairs.

"Why, there's nothing this way except the stairs to the kitchens, dungeons, empty classrooms, and the Moaning Myrtle's bathroom."

"I know," he said before picking her up and running to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

"Draco, put me down," she protested, trying to kick him.

"Not until we get there."

"Get where?"

"To the Chamber," he said, stopping himself before he could explain.

"Why do we have to go to the bloody Chamber of Secrets?" she protested, giving up on trying to kick him.

"Because, Harry said that you were studying the magical properties of the Basilisk fang. I thought we could pick one up," he said, quickly thinking.

"Can you put me down at least?" He put her down before they continued down the hall and turning into the bathroom.

"Stay here," Draco said before going over to the entrance to make sure that Luna and Neville weren't there. "Come on over," he called after he found a note telling him everything was set up that was signed by Luna.

"What was the point in having me stand over there?" she asked, looking around to check that Myrtle wasn't there.

"There could have been a Death Eater over here."

"Well now there is," she said before opening the Chamber of Secrets with the Parseltongue that Harry had taught her and Ron.

"I hate you," he told her before sliding down the entrance with her following.

"That would explain why you're taking me down to the place that concealed the monster that attacked Mudbloods in second year," she said before walking off of the mattresses at the bottom of the tunnel and going through the dark and damp corridor with Draco beside her.

"How far do we have to walk?" he asked her before they saw a light ahead of them.

"Can't be that much father," she told him before taking her wand out.

"Relax, 'Mione, we aren't at war," he told her, pressing her wand arm down.

"I know, but it could still be dangerous," she said as she kept her wand out and pressed forward. As the light got closer, they could start to hear music playing.

"And the Birthday Girl finally arrives," Ginny shouted over the music before everyone rushed over and surrounded her.

"What is this?" Hermione shouted.

"It's a surprise birthday party we set up for you," Luna said, stating the obvious.

"The Ravenclaws and Slytherins worked together and found a way to make the Muggle

electronics work. They can explain it better than I can," Neville told her as Harry handed Draco a firewhiskey and gave Hermione a butterbeer.

"This is bloody awesome," Hermione shouted before one of the Muggleborn Hufflepuffs started up the strobe lights onto the Dance floor.

"How and when did you clean this place up?" Draco asked Harry.

"Bill visited Charlie last week and Ginny convinced him to help us clean this place out the rest of the way," Harry shouted back at him before both of the boys took a drink of firewhiskey.

"How is everyone going to go back to their dorm without being caught?" Hermione asked as Ginny lead the group over to a set of couches that they had brought down.

"On the day we were down here for Defense Against the Dark Arts, the rest of us explorded all of the tunnels and found out that each one of the House's dorms have a tunnel leading down here," Harry told her. "Since it's only those from our year and Ginny's year it's going to be much simpler, plus we have the Heads' and most prefects here."

"Oh, Malfoy, my brother was looking for you earlier. I think he's over by the music player now," Ginny said.

"What did he want?"

"He wouldn't say. All I know is that it has something to do with how he's been acting and Hermione."

"Alright, thanks Weasley," Draco said before standing up and going to find Ron.

"Ferret, come here," Ron called as Draco neared where he was. "I'm sorry for not trusting you, and for over reacting."

"It's fine, weasel. Although, if I were you I would apologize to 'Mione instead of me since she has been more affected," Draco told him before the two of them walked over to the group with Lavender following them.

"Hey, Hermione," Ron said as Draco sat back down beside Hermione on a four person couch and he and Lavender sat across from them in a different couch.

"Ronald," Hermione greeted after taking a drink of her butterbeer.

"Look 'Mione, I'm sorry for how I've been acting," Ron said, messing with his bottle of firewhiskey.

"Why have you been such a git?" Hermione asked him as Draco put his arm around her.

"Because I don't believe that he doesn't have a plan and is just doing this for his benefit."

"Yeah, the same way you did not believe Harry didn't put his name into the Goblet of Fire fourth year?" Hermione asked jokingly.

"Or how you thought that Hermione and I had feelings for each other while we were out hunting horcruxes," Harry pitched in.

"Alright, alright, I get it. I don't have the best of Inner Eyes. I still don't believe in that rubbish Trelawny goes on about," Ron said, earning a glare from Lavender.

"So how bad does it hurt to apologize to the Slytherin King?" Harry asked, mocking Draco's nickname.

"Now, now, Potter, I think you're forgetting a word or two there," Draco said, leaning forward to look at the boy on the other side of the couch.

"Sorry, your highness," Harry said, standing up to bow in front of the blonde before sitting back down. "When's curfew again?"

"Midnight, Harry. This is the seventh year you've been here, Merlin's beard," Ginny said.

"It's not my fault we've always been doing things that require us to be out past then."

"Sure, just blame it on Voldemort," Lavender said, causing them to laugh.

"Did you finally get 'Mione on a broom yet Malfoy?" Ginny asked him.

"Yes of course I did, we were just out flying before going to Hagrid's then here," Draco said.

"And she didn't protest?" Ron asked, shocked.

"Not really, no," Draco told him.

"Bloody hell Malfoy."

"Hold up, did you just say that you visited Hagrid's?" Harry asked him.

"I wanted to see how his studies were going and Draco decided to come in with me," Hermione informed him.

"That would have been fun to witness," Ginny commented.

"Oh, yes, I'm sure you would have gotten a kick out of that one," Draco said sarcastically.

"Come on Won-Won, let's go dance," Lavender said, standing up and trying to pull Ron up off the couch as well.

"Lavender, you've had me dance all night until just a while ago, can't we take a break?"

"Nope," she said, causing him to groan in annoyance and the others to chuckle to themselves.

"Fine, come on then. I'll talk to you guys later," he said before going over to the dance away as Carry On Wayward Son started playing.

"Oh, I think this is the last song on the playlist that my year set up for tonight," Ginny said, standing up. "Come on Harry."

"Seriously Ginny?"

"It's the last song of the night before we all go back to our dorms," she told him.

"Fine, but only if you able to drag Hermione and Malfoy out there."

"I haven't even heard of this song before," Draco protested.

"That's because it's a Muggle song," Hermione told him before being pulled to her feet by Ginny. "Why do I have to dance?"

"Come on, Hermione, please," Ginny begged.

"Yeah, Hermione," Draco said, standing up.

"Not you as well," Hermione complained.

"Tough luck," Draco said before pulling Hermione to the dance area with Harry and Ginny following close behind them.

"Draco Malfoy dancing to Muggle music," Parkinson commented as they passed her.

"Oh come on Pansy, drag Blazie or Theodore out here," Draco told her.

"You're joking right?" she retorted. "Muggleborns and Gryffindors are one thing, but Muggles themselves?"

"Let's go," Theodore told her before pulling her onto the dance floor.

"No, I refuse to dance to such music as this," Pansy said before going back to spot. Blaize quickly came over and started dancing with Nott.

"Hello there," Blaize said as he took Pansy's spot.

"Hello my friend," Theo replied as Draco and Hermione laughed at them. The song soon ended and everyone gathered around the back, towards the tunnels that lead off to different areas.

"It is the close of the night," Harry announced, standing up on a small platform that they brought down. "Zabini if you would let go of Nott's hand and lead your house through the tunnel on the left. It will lead you back to Slytherin Common room."

"How do we know this isn't a trap?" one of the girls in Ginny's year asked as she helped turn the equipment off.

"Hermione, go with them. They may need you anyway since most of them probably had one or two fire whiskeys too much," Harry said earning the laughter of most of the crowd.

"Hufflepuffs, you will go to the right with Ron and Lavender," Ginny instructed as the Slytherins moved towards the tunnel indicated for them.

"Ravenclaws will come with me and Neville," Luna said, walking towards the back of the room where there was a small tunnel that looked like it had stairs in it.

"Gryffindors, I'm sure you remember the path we took to get down here," Ron said before all the students left towards their tunnels.

"Quick question Harry?" Draco called, running over to stop the Boy Who Lived. "Is there a tunnel to go to for the Heads' dorm?"

"It's the one straight ahead, Draco," he said, noticing the use of his first name and returning the gesture.

"Thanks," Draco called before running to catch up with Hermione and the Slytherins.

"Alright, wands out in case we do come across a dementor or something," Hermione instructed them as they entered the tunnel. When they had came down to decorate the place, Charlie had put lights down the tunnels every couple of yards to make it easier to see and navigate.

"Granger, none of us exactly know how to cast a patronus," Pansy told her.

"None of you?" she asked stunned.

"Some of us do," a short muggleborn Slytherin from Ginny's year said.

"Those who do come up here with us," Draco told the group. Slowly most of the Slytherins pushed their way to the front, the only ones who didn't move where Parkinson and the rest who had had Death Eater parents. "That's more than some."

"Those of you who can cast a patronus, would you please instructed the others on how to do it. Voldemort might be dead, but it is always a useful spell," Hermione instructed, ignoring Draco's comment.

"What if they don't listen to us?" one of the younger ones asked.

"Then send them to us, Harry, Ginny, Ron, or anyone else who was part of Dumbledore's Army," Hermione told the boy as they went forwards and turned to the left before going up a short bit of stairs.

"How much further do we have to walk?" Nott complained, falling to the ground dramatically.

"Is hating walking far a needed trait for Slytherins or something?" Hermione asked mockingly as Blaise and Pansy helped him up.

"What's that green light ahead?" Millicent Bulstrode asked before the two younger students who talked earlier ran forward.

"Be careful," Hermione called up to them.

"Relax, 'Mione, it's just the light from the Common Room. Blazie I think we finally found the end of the tunnel that we went through in second year," Draco commented.

"You went through a tunnel connected through the Chamber of Secrets?"

"We didn't know, this must lead out to that closet where we keep our brooms and everything else," Blaise commented.

"One of the first years must have left it open again," Pansy added as they started to walk into the shadow of the green light and see a variety of objects owned by the Slytherins.

"Do you just want to sleep down here tonight, it's already eleven thirty," Draco commented once they were inside the Slytherin Common Room.

"You just don't want to walk all the way back upstairs," Hermione commented, walking over to the door of the Common Room. "You can sleep down here though," she told him before walking out of the Common Room and heading up to the Heads' dorm.

"You staying here?" Blaise asked him once Hermione was gone and they had helped everyone who were drunk get up to their beds.

"We'll see," Draco told him as they sat down on a couch before Pansy and Nott came downstairs and sat down in the two chairs.

"Have you told your parents yet?" Pansy asked him.

"I, we, just visited them today actually," Draco told them, watching the flames.

"Are you still just following your father's plan?" Goyle asked.

"How did you know about that?" Draco asked, looking up and seeing Goyle standing at the bottom of the stairs before coming over and sitting on the floor in between the couch and the chair Nott was in.

"Your father told mine last time he was in the Ministry."

"Wait, what's your father's plan?" Blaise asked him.

"To use 'Mione, in order to be seen as good by the public," Draco told them, looking back at the flames.

"Well looks like that failed," Theo told him.

"How do you mean?" Pansy asked.

"I overheard Potter telling Weasley about Draco here giving him her his old broomstick."

"Holy Salazar, Draco, you wouldn't even let us touch it," Goyal complained.

"Considering you guys could have used the Slytherin team brooms, I saw no point."

"Do you actually care about her?" Pansy asked him, earning no response. "You do, don't you?"

"Maybe," he replied, a smirk growing on his face.

"Did you tell your father this yet?" Blaise asked.

"No, and if any of you do then I'm not going to be the only one trying to kill you," he threatened.

"What are you going to do? Send the Gryffindors on us?" Goyal remarked.

"Maybe, or I'll see if Hagrid has another pet Dragon to set loose on you."

"Oh, that's a good idea. Perhaps Potter is still friendly with that Hungarian Horntail," Blaise retorted.

"Good thinking, or I could try to get you out of the castle during the full moon next week," Draco said, standing up. "I'm going to go to bed, see you people at breakfast. Try to make a big bang on your entrance to the Gryffindor table if you sit with them," he said leaving the Common Room and going up to the Heads' dorm.

"I thought you were going to stay with the rest of your House," Hermione commented when she heard the door open from the couch where she was reading a book that her mum sent her on the history of Science Fiction that included pieces from various writers.

"And I thought you would be asleep right now," Draco replied going over to where she was and standing there.

"I'm not that tired," she answered, putting a bookmark in before closing her book. "I already put all of the things we bought today away."

"Where's my broom?" he asked, looking around the living room.

"It's in the small closet outside of the bathroom," she told him before he sprinted off to go inspect it. "What are you doing?"

"Making sure you didn't damage my baby," he told her, running his hands over the handle and looking at the twigs that were already perfect.

"I didn't hurt your precious broom," she told him before going back to reading her book.

"Good," he said, putting it back into the closet before shutting the door and going over to the couch. "Come on," he told her trying to take the book from her.

"I'm not tired, Draco," she whined, moving the book out of his reach.

"You're acting like a child."

"Says the one who refuses to go to bed without me," she retorted.

"Fine, I'll be in my room if you need me," he told her before walking over to his bedroom and closing the door.

"Draco," she yelled, causing him to run out of his room in different clothes.

"What?"

"Can you get me a pumpkin juice?" she asked him.

"You had me run out here just so I could get you something to drink. Do you or do you not possess magic?"

"Well that, and I wanted to tell you that while we were gone your father owled you," she told him as he brought the bottle of pumpkin juice to her. She took the envelope out of the back of her book and gave it to him.

"Did you read it?" he asked her.

"Why would I?" she asked, standing up and going over to her room and shutting the door to change into something more comfortable.

"Hermione," Draco said, knocking on the door.

"What?"

"Am I still allowed in here?"

"Why wouldn't you be?" she asked after opening the door.

"I don't know," he said, coming into her room and sitting on the bed.

"What does the letter say, if I'm allowed to know?" She walked around the room, putting clothes and books back where they were supposed to go. Draco opened the letter, pulled it out, and starting reading it while Hermione came over and sat down on the bed as well.

 _"Draco, I am appalled as to how the five of you, your mother included, acted at dinner today. How dare you let those filthy blood traitors into the house along with Muggle food, disgusting. Don't think I didn't notice the necklace she was wearing as well. How much exactly have you spent on this filthy little Mudblood? Probably more than you need to in order to keep the cover going. I have half a mind to stop her from coming over this Christmas. However, I have already set reservations for activities for us to do in the public eye in order to start getting our respective place in the community back so I shan't do that."_ As Draco was reading the letter aloud, Hermione was messing with the necklace she still had on and staring at the wall across from them.

"Well that was a wonderful response."

"You're going to break the diamonds on that thing," he told her, putting the letter on the small table beside the bed.

"Wait, these are real diamonds?" she asked, dropping the golden snitch.

"Yes, what part of 'we have enough money for thousands of generations' don't you understand?" he asked, laying down.

"The part where your parents don't give any of that to charities," she told him, standing up and putting the necklace on a dresser after she took it off then going to lay down.

"Mum sometimes does, while my father's at work. She goes to charity balls and junk like that. She used to drag me to them when I was younger."

"If that's his response to just a simple dinner, I can't wait until Christmas."

"Speaking of which, you might want to eat more like a Malfoy, at least for a while once we get there when he's there."

"What do you mean?"

"Less like a free-for-all and more passing bowls of food around."

"You're joking right?"

"Nope," he said before waving his wand to turn the lights off and them both going to bed.


	6. Chapter 6

Once morning came around, the leaves on the trees of the forbidden forest had already started to change colours. Draco sat up in the bed before climbing out and going to get ready for the day, trying to not wake Hermione up since it was only five thirty. She rolled over anyways, falling out of the bed and waking up.

"Morning, graceful," he mocked, stopping in the doorway on his way out and looking back to see her on the floor while laughing.

"What time is it?" she asked, slowly getting up, trying not to trip on the blankets that were wrapped around her legs on the floor.

"Nearly six, do you want the shower first?"

"No, you can have it. I took a shower last night while you were in the Slytherin dungeons," she told him, going over to her closet before he left, shutting her door on his way out so she could get ready. She changed into her Muggle clothes before slipping her robes on and a Gryffindor tie on along with her shoes before getting her bag, wand, books, and all of her work together to leave. "You ready yet?" she asked, knocking on the bathroom door and getting no answer in reply.

She slowly opened the door and didn't find him in there so she went over to his room, opening the door the same way before seeing him sitting on the bed, looking down at the mark on his arm. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing," he replied, quickly getting up and rolling his sleeve down before getting his things together for class that day.

"Draco, you know you can tell me, right?"

"'Mione, you can't know about this, not yet at least."

"And why not?" she asked, crossing her arms and standing in his way as he tried to go around her to leave. "Whatever it is, I can help you." He mumbled something under his breath, her not able to hear it.

"Come on, we have class to get to," he said, trying to grab her arm and pull her out of the room. She then grabbed his left arm and rolled the sleeve up. "Hermione, don't," he tried to pretest as she quickly inspected the Dark Mark closely.

"Are all of them a faded black, as if they were tattoos?"

"Yeah," he told her awkwardly, trying to take his arm out of her grip.

"Then why is it you have a scar on yours, underneath it?"

"Because of something that happened when I was younger," he told her, rolling the sleeve down once she finally let go.

She looked at him suspiciously before shaking her head. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah," he said as she turned around and lead the pair of them out off his room and down to the Great Hall, her taking his hand in her own as they left the Heads' dorm. He normally didn't believe in God or anything, but if there was one he prayed to him that she didn't discover what he really had become before the school year that Dumbledore died in.

"On fifth Harry's having a small get together like he does every full moon in honor of Remus, do you want to join us?" she asked him. "We all go out to the lake and just hang out after the moon is up."

"I don't think that's wise. In fact, would you do me a favour and just stay inside the dorm that Saturday night?"

"Why, Lavender Brown has wolfsbane potion made for her by Harry from Snape's notes before he died, plus she stays down in the Chamber of Secrets while in wolf form. She's the only danger we would face on a full moon."

"Hermione please, you can have the get together in the Heads' dorm but don't go outside."

"Only if you give me an explanation," she told him.

"I'll explain everything to you at Christmas, I promise."

"Fine," she agreed, suspicious of him once more. "Although, if you don't then," she started before he cut her off.

"What, you'll throw a few hexes my way?"

"I just might." She lead them over to where Harry, Ron, and Ginny were sitting across from Blaize, Theo, and Pansy in a heated discussion about Quidditch."Do you guys talk about anything besides Quidditch?" Hermione asked, taking a few pieces of toast and pouring orange juice into a goblet.

"Nope, especially when these idiots won't admit that Slytherin could sweep the floor with everyone in a normal and fair year, especially now that Dumbledore isn't hear to just randomly give you house points," Blaise remarked.

"Oh yeah, because it's so fair when you guys play Quidditch," Ginny retorted.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Pansy asked defensively.

"Nothing, just that you always cheat," Ron pointed out.

"It's not as bad as it was when Marcus Flint was Slytherin Quidditch Captain," Draco added as Hermione ignored everyone and finished eating.

"Sure it's not, especially with their captain now being an ex Death Eater," Harry said, causing Draco, who was in between him and Hermione, to punch him. "Thanks, Malfoy."

"Anytime, Potter." The group finished eating before separating and going to their first classes of the day.

At lunch, Hermione and Pansy where the first two to arrive since they shared a class together whereas the others were in a different one.

"Hey Parkinson, can I ask you something serious?" Hermione asked, going over to the Slytherin table, following the other girl.

"I guess, Granger. What's up?"

"Promise you won't tell Draco?"

"If it's something bad and I feel like I need to I will."

"Fine, I guess that's reasonable. What's up with the scar under his Dark Mark? I almost looks like an old bite or something."

Pansy paused for a minute, unsure of how to respond to the smarter witch. "Hermione," she finally started after a while, "if he hasn't told you yet, I can't do it for him. He needs to be the one to explain it to you, in his own time."

"Who needs to explain what?" Draco asked, walking up on them towards the end of their conversation.

"Nothing," Hermione told him, going over and sitting at Gryffindor table as Harry and Ron showed up.

"She asked about the bite," Pansy told him.

"If she finds out what if she thinks differently about me?" Draco asked, looking over his shoulder at the Golden Trio.

"She of all people here won't think differently, not if she's already forgiven you of your past transgressions. Come on Draco, she was friends with Professor Lupin, one of her best friends is dating a girl that got bit, and one of the Weasley's got scratched at the start; I heard he doesn't transform but he still has some side effects."

"I guess you're right, I just don't wanna blow this," he told her quietly.

"I understand," Pansy said, watching him sadly as he watched Hermione.

"Hermione what's wrong?" Harry asked when she sat down next to him.

"Nothing," she told him. "I just feel like he's hiding something. I think I know what it is but I wanna be sure before I ask him." She picked up a sandwich as she felt silver gray eyes on her and looked up, locking eye contact with Draco before turning to Harry as he started talking.

"Hermione, I think I know what you're talking about and even if I don't," he started saying before Draco walked over to them.

"So how's everyone's classes so far today?" he asked, glaring at Harry to try to make him stay silent on the subject.

"Just peachy," Hermione said as a shy first year Hufflepuff girl came up and tapped her shoulder. "Crap, I forgot," she said standing up. "I'll meet up with you guys later, I have to go help her and a couple of others." The first year took her hand and they went to the library.

"You haven't told her yet?" Harry asked after she left the Great Hall.

"No, the time hasn't been right yet and then she told me about the get together you're having in honor of Lupin and I asked her to stay in the castle that night and now she's really suspicious. I wouldn't be surprised if she has already figured it out."

"You need to tell her before someone else does. She may not care but it still needs to hear it come from you."

"Why?" Draco whined.

"Because otherwise she's going to think you don't trust her and then she'll think that she can't trust you," Ron pitched in. "I don't know what we're talking about but that much I know."

"Fine, I'll tell her tonight, I just don't see why the she can't just wait until Christmas to get an explanation."

"Christmas is like three months away, that's far too much time to wait," Harry told him as they stood up to go to class.

"Fine," Draco agreed, following the two Gryffindors to their next class that they all shared together.

"How was helping the first years?" he asked as Hermione walked into the classroom.

"Fine, they're doing much better than I expected honestly. I remember how hard it was to catch up on all the magical stuff as a Muggleborn without having any friends or family who knew anything about magic to help or to teach me when I was younger in order to enter on the same level as you purebloods."

"Instead you just worked your ass off in order to learn literally everything and thus became smarter than anyone else here at Hogwarts all eight years your here."

"Technically it would still be seven years since we didn't come to school during the war since we were hunting to destroy your Dark Lord."

"Yes, but since you were here, fighting the war, it could still be considered as eight years."

"I guess you're right," she said, taking out her essay for Flitwick.

"Look I know you're trying to figure out if your right or not about what you think the scar is, but can you please just wait until tonight and I'll explain it?" he asked after a couple minutes of silence.

"I guess, but why would you think that I'd think differently about you once I found out?"

"Because with that, on top of everything else I've done in the past, I figured it'd be the last straw. I mean it's one thing to be friends with one, it's entirely different to date or have to live with one."

"Wow," she said, chuckling to herself as Flitwick walked in.

"What?"

"Remus, he tried to push back his emotions for Tonks because he thought that she'd care about him being a werewolf and he feared that Teddy would be affected by it somehow."

"He's not is he?"

"Nope, not that we can tell. Although he did get Tonk's metamorphmagus abilities."

After classes they all went back to their dorms, Hermione went to her room to put her things away as Draco did the same before sitting on the edge of his bed, staring at his now uncovered marked arm.

"So," Hermione said, walking into his room and taking his arm in her hand as she sat next to him. "How'd the dragon become a wolf?"

"It was the same night I was supposed to become a Death Eater. Father had failed Voldemort so as his punishment, the Dark Lord commanded Fenir to convert me before giving me a nearly impossible task that would lead to my parents' deaths if I failed at completing it before the end of the year. Right after Greyback bit me, they dried the blood, sewed it up, and put the Dark Mark right over it but instead of doing it directly by magic, they did it with a needle, kinda like the ones muggles use but still with a bit of magical properties so that I could still be called upon like the others." He avoided looking at her as she traced both the mark and the bite with her index finger.

"Do you use wolfsbane?"

"Potter's offered me countless times to make it for me, but he's already done so much I figured I'd just do without it; besides, the pain during the transformations reminds me just how bad my actions during the battle were, and it keeps me from doing anything like it again."

"Harry knows?"

"Yes, I told him about it before the Ministry hearing; I thought if he knew everything he could trust me more and believe that I really did want to change."

"Draco, I think you should take some wolfsbane. It helped Remus a lot and I know it helps Lavender. It could make your transformation so much less painful."

"Just promise me you'll stay in the castle?"

"Alright," she agreed.

"So," he said. "What do you wanna do before we go to supper?"

"I don't know," she told him, crawling back to the back of his bed, laying down with her head on the pillows.

"We could do something we haven't been able to do yet?" he suggested, turning around and going towards the head of the bed as well before hovering over her.

"Draco," Hermione tried to protest before he crashed his lips on hers. Not even a minute had passed when there was a loud banging noise at the door.

"Bloody hell, we need to put a silence charm around our dorm or something," he told her, getting up and storming off to get the door as she chuckled and went to stand in his doorway so she could see the front door of the dorm room. "What do you want Blaise?" he snapped as he opened the door.

"Aggressive much? Hello Granger," he pushed past his friend and going to sit down on the floor by the coffee with all of his books in hand. "I need help, so I figured I'd come to the place where I can get the best two brains at Hogwarts without having to see a professor."

"We can't offer you the help you need mate," Draco told him, going over and sitting down on the couch.

"Ignore him, he's just in a mood because of your timing," Hermione said with a smirk as she came over to the couch as well and sat down next to Draco.

"He'll live, but if I don't figure this out, a certain animal won't, least not as a happy life as it would otherwise have."

"Why what's up?" Hermione asked as he took out his edition of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

"We found a liter of crups on the far outskirts of the woods, no where close to Hagrid's so they can't be his. I remembered that he's going through all his classes again so I figured giving them to him would be a bad idea, especially with Fang being there and these guys being so small."

"Alright, then what's the problem?" Hermione asked.

"The Slytherin dorms are too crowded to have 8 crups running around, and, although there are a lot of us, we don't have time to properly care for them. We were wondering if we can keep them in here? We'd help take care of them when we have time."

"Blaise I don't," Draco started before Hermione cut him off.

"Bring them in, we have plenty of space."

"Thanks Hermione, I hoped you'd say we could," he said before running out to go get them all from the dungeons.

"What the fuck Hermione? We should have talked about this first."

"Come on Draco, they're just little puppies. I've always wanted a dog but couldn't have one because of my dad being allergic. Pleasssseee," she begged him, her whole body turned towards him and her legs cross legged on the couch.

"You're lucky you're so fucking cute," he said after a while, causing her to kiss him.

"Thank you Draco. Trust me, it'll be fun. Then over Christmas since you guys have so much more room than the Weasleys we could take them to the Manor with us."

"You better hope you get them house trained before we leave then, otherwise Father will not be pleased," he told her.

"That's what magic is for," she said, mocking him. "Na, it shouldn't be hard to train them, I mean Crookshanks can help. Maybe we could get them to use her litter box," she jested, a little serious about it however.

"What will they eat?"

"We'll have to feed them milk for the first couple of weeks or so, but after that they'll eat whatever. Ohhh, we could have the House elf feed them the scraps from the meals instead of just throwing them away or whatever."

"You are such a dork," he told her, kissing the top of her head before pulling her close to him. "If any of them chew on any of my things or destroy anything, by Salazar I swear I will kick it off of the Astronomy Tower without second thought," he told her right before Blaise, Theo, Pansy, and Ginny walked in, each one carrying two of the baby crups.

"Look at the little guys," Hermione said, taking one for Ginny as she sat down next to her on the couch.

"They're so adorable aren't they," Ginny pitched in. "When we go home for the holidays, I'm so taking one with me."

"Same here," Pansy agreed, handing one of the puppies to Draco who took it reluctantly on the couch before she sat in one of the chairs. Theo sat in the other chair, holding one and putting the other one on the floor with Blaise and the two that he had already.

"We need to name them if we're going to keep them," Draco pointed out, holding the puppy and lightly petting him, he was no bigger than their palms.

"This one has a lighting scar on her back so, she's gonna be Storm," Ginny said.

"What's that Muggle character whose nose grows when he lies?" Nott asked.

"Pinocchio?" the girls asked together.

"Yea, that's his name."

"These three will be Casey, Einstein, and Sandman," Blaise said pointing to each of the three on the floor.

"How do you know about Einstein?"

"My mother gets around a lot Granger, I've traveled and experienced more things then you can imagine."

"More like more people than she can imagine," Pansy commented under her breath.

"That too," he admitted.

"Well this little girl's name will be Rosebud."

"This one obviously Merlin," Draco said.

"I've got Shadow, just cause her coat's darker than the rest," Hermione told them, finishing up naming the magical puppies with forked tails.

"So that's settled, now we have to find a future home for Casey and Sandman though. I don't think my mother would approve of me bringing home one dog, let alone three."

"If you guys are each taking one, I guess we could keep the rest at the manor. Four crups are easier to handle than eight," Draco said as he watched Hermione play with the little puppy she was holding.

"We'll just have to use a Severing Charm in six to eight weeks so that any muggles who might see them won't be able to tell they aren't normal dogs," Hermione explained to the group as she carefully stood up and walked around the puppies on the floor to go poor a bowl of milk and pulled out an eye drop to start feeding Shadow.

"Do you have any more?" Ginny asked, following her to the kitchen, picking up Sandman on her way to kitchen.

"There should be seven more in the drawer on the right of the fridge," Hermione told her as the rest of the group came over to start feeding the puppies as well as Luna and Neville walked into the Head's dorm without knocking.

"We heard you guys had crups," Luna said, walking over, picking Sandman, who was scooting around on the counter, and started feeding him as well as Neville did the same to Casey.

"Yeah, do you guys want to keep?" Ginny asked.

"I would but Nan's allergic," Neville said.

"I'm afraid Dad wouldn't be able to take care of one when I'm away," Luna admitted. "He's not exactly all there." Pansy chucked, causing Blaise to elbow her in the stomach to shut her up.

"That's understandable," Blaise told the Ravenclaw.

"So, how are we going to keep this hidden so we don't get in trouble?" Hermione asked.

"We fought in the Battle, I really doubt anyone is going to say anything about us saving a bunch of crups' lives honestly," Ginny said. They finished feeding the puppies ten minutes later.

"Alright we need to build a small pin to keep them in for now so that they don't just go all over while we're not here," Hermione explained, going over to an empty corner in the kitchen. "Neville, Luna, can you two go to the Room of requirement and pick up so fencing so we can make a pin?"

"Yeah," they both agreed, Neville handing Casey to Blaise and Luna handing sandman to Ginny.

"They're so tiny," Pansy said as Rosebud started falling asleep in her hand.

"Was there any sign of their mother around?" Hermione asked the others.

"No, we found them in a cardboard box with a wool blanket over top, pulled back just enough for air to move in and out," Nott explained.

"So a wizard had to leave them out, wouldn't that be against the Ministry's laws or something?" Ginny asked.

"If a Muggle would have came across them it would've been but since it was you guys, no," Draco explained, jumping up and sitting on the island counter.

"I wonder how long they were out there for," Pansy commented.

"Doesn't matter now, all that matters is that they're safe, warm, and getting cared for now. Since they're so young, they most likely wouldn't have made it another day or two honestly," Hermione said, going over and putting the bowl of milk back in the fridge and putting the eye drops on the corner by it.

"Here's what we found," Luna said as she and Neville walked in carrying metal wire fences.  
"Thanks guys," Draco said, handing Neville the puppies he was holding and setting up the pin in the corner. Hermione went over to her bag and pulled out a couple old blankets, putting shadow on the couch for a couple of seconds as she put the blankets on the floor of the pin before they put all eight crup puppies inside it.

"Perfect, now we can go get food," Blaise commented.

"Crookshanks, can you keep an eye on the pups for us?" Hermione asked the cat who was sitting on the coffee table in the living room, watching them all while laying down.

"As if she can understand you," Nott commented, at the front of the group leaving out the door. They all followed before Pansy stopped Draco after everyone had left.

"Did you tell her?"

"Yeah, Potter told me I had to tell her before the break."

"Good, I knew she wouldn't overreact," Pansy said before they hurried and caught up with the rest of the group before they noticed.

"When is the first meeting about the winter dance?" Ginny asked Hermione as Draco walked up to them on their way down to the Great Hall.

"The sixth, we can get our dresses the weekend after that if you want," Hermione suggested.

"Yes, and we can stop and get our shoes and set up the nail appointment," Luna and Ginny started going on. "It's going to be so much fun."

"Pansy, would you like to join us when we go?" Luna asked.

"I don't want to intrude," she started to protest.

"It's not intruding if you're invited Parkinson," Hermione pointed out.

"Are you guys sure?"

"It's not like you have anything more important to do that day, do you? I mean it is a couple weeks away," Ginny told her.

"Fine, I'll come along," the Slytherin girl agreed.

"Does that me we have to hang out with the Gryffindorks that day?" Nott asked.

"Of course," Neville commented.

"No rules Quidditch is always an option we could do, I'll discuss it with Potter," Draco commented as they entered the Great Hall.

"Not cool, you guys can't play Quidditch without me," Ginny protested. "Besides, it shouldn't take more than an hour to pick up the dresses."

"Fine, we'll hang out at the Three Broomsticks while we wait, but y'all better hurry," Blaise told the ginger.

"Okay," she agreed before all the Slytherins left to their table to eat and Luna to the Ravenclaw table as required for dinner meals.

"Harry, you're going to love your Christmas present," Ginny said, sitting down next to him.  
"Oh? You picked it up already?"

"With the help of a couple Slytherins, our Heads, and a Ravenclaw."

"This can't be good," Ron commented.

"It is though, it'll just be a lot of work," Hermione explained, putting food on her plate as it appeared. "I didn't think you were going to share her though."

"Like you said, it'll be a lot of work. Plus, I'll need someone to watch her next year while I'm still stuck here."

"I'm so lost," Harry commented, taking a drink of pumpkin juice.

"That's nothing new mate," Ron added.

"So did he tell you?" Harry asked Hermione as she looked up from her plate.

"Yes, how could you have not told me that, especially after hearing that I moved in to the Heads' dorm and that we were starting to date?" Hermione asked him.

"Because I didn't think it was such a big deal, plus he's been dealing with it for like two years now. I figured he knew how to be able to make sure he was safely away from the castle and from hurting anyone while it happens."

"It's not a big deal, I just figured you would have told me about it. I mean the only time we don't tell each other things is when we're forbid by Dumbledore or something," Hermione explained.

"You're right, sorry Hermione," Harry told her. "But in my defense I didn't expect you two to become a thing and when you did, i thought it would be best for it to come from him rather than me."

"Fair enough," she agreed before they started eating.

"So, for Christmas are you staying at the Burrow or at their manor?" Ron asked.

"I think we have to stay at Malfoy Manor, but we will come over to the Burrow when ever we can. We will have to be there the two days my parents are there. I don't see Draco's father being too fond of my parents coming to stay at the Manor, but at the same time Narcissa might insist on it."

"Have you told them yet, about you and Malfoy?" Ginny asked.

"I haven't yet, I figure it would be best to do that in person. Actually, would you guys be able to come with me this weekend to tell them so they have time to accept it before Christmas?"

"Is he going with you then?" Harry asked.

"I haven't told him about it yet. I just figured, however, that if you guys come with, my father will keep his temper down when he finds out that I'm dating the one person I ever told them about bullying me, not including all of the Muggle children when we were younger."

"We'll go, won't we boys?" Ginny spoke for them.

"Of course," Harry agreed.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt anything," Ron added.

"Thanks guys, probably wouldn't be wise to tell him about my parents knowing what he did when we were younger, would it be?"

"Definitely not, don't tell him until after he swears to go, better yet don't even tell him," Harry warned.

"He has to know sometime, he can't be going in blind. What if Dad pulls his gun?"

"Your father is way too nice to pull out his gun, the most damage he would do to Malfoy is a good punch before offering to fix his teeth," Ron added to the conversation.

"Fair enough," Hermione said before they finished eating. "Oh, Ginny, they need feed every two hours for the first month or so, would you be willing to spend the night and get up to help feed them?"

"Yeah, I can take the couch," the younger witch agreed.

"Great, I'll ask Pansy and maybe the boys so it'll go fast. We could convert the chair to a bed for her and then the boys can just take Draco's room."

"Where will he sleep then?" Ron asked, slightly paying attention to the girls' conversation.

"Where he has been for the past couple of nights, with me?"

"Bloody hell 'Mione, you're already sleeping with the ferret?"

"Ron calm down, it's not like that. It's innocent I swear," she defended herself.

"You know what? I don't care anymore, you can fuck whoever you want."

"I didn't need your permission in the first place Ronald, but as I said before, we've done nothing," Hermione told him, standing up. "I'll see you tonight if you help Ginny, night Harry." She left the Great Hall and went back up to the Heads' Dorm.

"What was that about?" Draco asked, jumping over the table and standing behind Ron.

"Hermione just asked if I would spend the night for a while because the crups need feed every two hours for the first month. I said I'd take the couch and she said that she ask Pansy if she could take the chair and Blaise and Theo if they could take your room," Ginny explained.

"And weasel here jumped to the conclusion just because Hermione and I are sharing a bed that means we're doing stuff?" Draco asked catching on. "Alright, I'll see you tonight then?" He asked her.

"Yeah, Harry you wanna come with and see you Christmas present early?" Gin asked.

"I suppose so, if Malfoy doesn't mind?"

"Go right ahead, I mean I suppose I gotta get used to you lot if I want things with Hermione to work. So I'll see you both tonight and I better go ask the snakes before checking on her."

"Bye Malfoy," the threw Gryffindors said as he jumped over the Ravenclaw table once more and returned to the Slytherin table.

"What's up?" Theo asked as Draco picked up his glass and finished his pumpkin juice.

"Weasley said shit to Hermione again. Harry and Ginny are sleeping in our dorm for a while apparently to help take care of the puppies."

"Shouldn't she have cleared that with you first?" Pansy asked.

"Yeah, but to be fair she told Ginny that she was going to ask you three to also stay and help so y'all are moving in for a month I guess."

"Why?"

"They have to be feed every two hours for a month. She's probably going to have you take care of the one you are taking home, not a bad idea really," Draco explained to his friends. "Pansy, we're changing a chair into a bed for you, you boys two are taking my bed, and Harry and Ginny are converting the couch to a bed. If they bring Weasley, we'll convert the other chair as well for him."

"Extended slumber party," Blaise and Theo said together loudly, getting looks from around the Great Hall.

"I'll see y'all tonight then," Draco said before going up stairs to the Heads' Dorm.

"Did Ginny tell you the plan?" Hermione asked, not looking up from her book.

"Yes, and I may or may not have extended the invitation to Harry and Weasley as well." He walked up to the couch and sat down, lifting her head into his lap.

"It'll be party central then," she told him, reading as he played with her hair.

"So long as we keep the firewhiskey away from Theo and Blaise."

"True," Hermione told him as Crookshankes jumped up on her stomach and curled up into a ball. "Draco, do you mind coming with me to my parents this weekend? I want them to have time to process this before Christmas."

"What do you mean?"

"They kinda know about the bullying when we were younger," she explained to him, closing her book.

"Oh great," Draco commented. "How much of it?"

"Most of it, plus what your aunt did. I tried hiding it from them but when I was wearing long sleeves all summer, they started catching on."

"Seriously?"

"I tell my parents everything, Draco, besides I, we, figured once I came here, the bullying would stop."

"You were bullied by the Muggles?"

"In my elementary school growing up, I mean a know it all girl with buck teeth and big messy hair who isn't exactly normal is bound to get some kind of different treatment, most likely negative."

"I'm sorry," he told her as she looked up at his face. "For everything, honestly. You know the only reason I really called you all those names so much was in order to try to repress me actually liking you and trying to please my father, living up to what was expected of me."

"Draco, I get it, you don't have to apologize, it's all in the past and behind us now," Hermione told him before they heard something in the fireplace.

"Draco Malfoy get your arse over here and make sure the Mudblood is gone," they hear Lucius call from the fireplace. Draco carefully got up and went over to the fireplace.

"She's in Great Hall eating still with her friends father," he lied. "What is it?"

"Why is it we got a letter today from the Weasleys inviting us over for Christmas for a couple days, at the same time that Granger's family would be there?"

"It might be good for getting back into the love of the public eye, Father. All three of the 'great war heros' will be there. Plus, for the plan to work, her parents will have to meet you. She won't go through with it if they don't approve."

"Speaking of, how did you set the plan back on track? I don't expect the Mudblood would taken part in this just to help get us back to the top."

"Allow me to worry about that."

"No, I need to know that way I know you're not going to fuck this mission up or not seen it through to the end like the last one."

"Father trust me, Hermione Granger will marry me and the Malfoy name will be back on top."

"And nothing will go wrong? You'll call it off soon after?"

"Father, I said nothing will go wrong, trust me in this."

"Fine, but if I see this going south, I'm pulling the plug and we'll try a different way."

"As you wish, sir," he told the old wizard before the flame disappeared and there was a knock at the door.

"Hermione, Malfoy, open up, we're all here," Ron called from the other side of the room.

"It's open," Hermione called, picking up Crookshankes and he book, putting them in her room before coming back outside.

"Who's ready for a month long party?" Ginny asked putting her have down behind the couch.

"Nope, there are two closest down the hallway, use them and keep have off the floor and out of the way," Draco told them, leaning against the mantle.

"Fine," Ginny said, picking her bags up and going over to the closet and putting them away, the others following her lead, as Hermione transfigured the couch and both chairs into beds.

"We don't have the house elfs cleaning the dorm, that's why it's best to clean up after yourselves please. During the day we'll transfigur the beds back to chairs and a couch so we can work but it's good for tonight. Each of you will take care of the one you claimed, however Harry will feed Sandman and Ron will feed Casey," Hermione instructed. "First feeding will be in an hour and then every other hour after that. The girls and Draco will take showers in the morning, the rest of the boys at night since we only have one bathroom in here, unless y'all wanna use the one for Prefects at the end of the hall. The passward for that one is Nocturnal."

They all went and changed before feeding the puppies and laying down for a short sleep before complaining that they had to be up two hours later to feed them once more, continuing the cycle all night.


End file.
